After Apocalypse
by London1
Summary: PostApocalypse. Previously called "Changing Times", but that title just sucked. BeastOC, ROMY...Someone returns from the dead, someone gets some booboos, and a new villain is introduced. R
1. Pussycat

Changing Times

By London

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men. Duh.

NOTE: Takes place after the whole Apocalypse incident which was the last few episodes of X-men: Evolution.

Chapter One: Pussycat

"Let's GO! HUSTLE IT UP, JUBES!" Logan yelled. He was standing in the woods behind the Xavier Institute instructing an early morning training session.

"Logan" Jubilee panted as she stopped to catch her breath. "It's really cold today. Can't we just go into the Danger Room?"

"Move your butt, kid. You only have a half mile left" Logan said not giving into the whims of the young girl.

"But, Logan!" Jubilee whined. Bobby and Sam jogged by, waving.

"Get going" Logan said. He looked down at her and rolled his eyes. Since the Apocalypse incident, everyone seemed to be a little wiped out. "Look Jubes, I hear that the new cook Charles hired is making waffles with tons of strawberries and whipped cream."

"Really?" Jubilee said perking up.

"Better hurry before Sam and Bobby beat you back and eat everything" Logan replied. Without another question or complaint Jubilee was off running at top speed while yelling something about strawberry waffles. "Kids."

Logan waited for the others to pass him by and growled when he saw Kitty and Rogue walking towards him. They had their sweaters pulled around them tightly.

"Girls" Logan said. Kitty stopped and struck a pose.

"It's cold out here, Logan" Kitty complained.

"Yeah! It's like 50 degrees" Rogue said. The air was crisp due to a rain storm from the previous night, but it wasn't horribly cold.

"You'd be warm if you two were running" Logan growled. "I want to see both of you running back to the mansion. Walk and I'll have a special training session for the two of you. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah" Kitty groaned before she took off for the mansion with Rogue beside her. Logan waited for Imara and Danielle before following them back to the mansion.

The dining room table had a massive spread of waffles, strawberries, whipped cream, hash browns, toast, and sausage. The professor sat with Jean, Scott, Ororo, and Hank talking about various classes. The room was full of chatter as the students came in from the shower rooms.

As soon as Logan walked in and sat down, the volume in the room went down a notch, though not much. He had a copy of the paper with him and started to read the headlines.

"Kurt!" Kitty shrieked from the far end of the table. A sudden 'bamf' could be heard before the young man was back to sitting next to Logan.

"Sorry" Kurt said. Logan watch from the corner of his eye as Kurt set down what he had been after, two waffles.

"How many times do I have to tell ya, elf? Ask" Logan grunted. Logan poured himself some coffee and tried hard to ignore the kids around him.

"So Charles, you said that today we should expect a new instructor to join us" Hank said while he sliced up the last of his waffles.

"Yes, that's right" Charles said. "I feel as though I am not fully recovered from Apocalypse and that another instructor would be beneficial."

"Does this new instructor have any prior experience?" Ororo asked.

"Lets just say that she has a colorful past" Charles replied.

"Great" Scott groaned. Logan shot a glance at Scott, before going back to his paper.

"Can you tell us anymore about this woman?" Hank asked. "What was her profession? What are her powers? What—"

"All in due time, Hank" Charles said with a smile. A man in an apron and hair net came into the dining room, approaching Charles.

"How is everything this morning?" The man asked.

"It's wonderful, Michael" Charles said. Michael Stahls was the new cook for the institute. He was fairly plain to look at with tanned skin and brown hair, but he always wore a smile. "Thank you."

"No problem" Michael said. He walked down the table picking up empty trays and headed back to the kitchen.

"It's kind of nice having a cook around here" Jean said.

"Yeah, it keeps Kitty out of the kitchen" Kurt chimed in over a mouthful of food. Hank was quick to finish off the rest of his breakfast.

"Simply wonderful" Hank said. He stood up and looked out the window. It was still overcast and murky, but at least it had stopped raining. "Excuse me, I have a video conference with some folks from Muir Island in about a half hour and I must get some things in order."

Logan finished up his two sausages and toast and stood up, leaving his paper on the table. The volume from the kids had reached a new level of annoying.

"I'll be in the garage" Logan said. "Gotta fix some stuff."

"Logan, you want some help?" Kurt asked. Logan was already heading for the door.

"No" Logan replied just before slipping out of the dining room.

Barely inside Bayville city limits, a motorcyclist pulled up to a gas station. She ran inside for directions and to pay for gas.

"Fifteen buck on number one" The girl said. The man behind the counter took the money and fiddled around with a computer. The girl pulled out the address for the institute and leaned against the counter. "Can you tell me how to get to this address?"

"Graymalkin Lane?" The man asked looking at the paper. "Sure. You keep going on this road, take a left on 14th. You'll start heading out of town. Turn onto Winston and you'll find Graymalkin up that way. Be careful though. There's a bunch of muties out that way."

"You have a problem with mutants?" The girl asked.

"Not really. Just keep an eye open, is all I meant" The man said. The girl nodded and headed back to her bike, to fill it up with gas.

She had been on the road for the last three days, stopping only when sleep threatened to run her off the road. She waited while the pump filled her tank, briefly glad that she could take a small break. It only took a few minutes before the pump clicked off. She replaced the nozzle and screwed her tank cap back on.

"Damn, I need some coffee" The girl growled to herself. With a kick, her bike started and she pulled out of the gas station lot.

The girl quickly headed towards the institute and was nearly to Winston before noticing a rider behind her. He had followed her since she had passed through the Yukon Territory. She had managed to out ride the man until Pennsylvania, where she had seen him once again.

After a quick glance behind her, the girl raced on, bypassing the local speed limit. The other rider was quick to catch on. The girl took a wild turn onto Winston, nearly hitting a station wagon in the process. She hurried down Winston, her insides telling her that the other rider was nothing but bad news. He looked familiar, now that he was closer to her.

The girl quickly turned onto Graymalkin Lane, nearly getting creamed by a milk truck. Winston had taken her pretty much out of town, into the forested hills that surrounded Bayville.

"Where's the god damn school?!" The girl screamed, irritated that the other biker was still following her. She followed a turn and saw the high walls and the fancy sign proclaiming the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Quickly, an energy blast shot from the girl's left hand, blowing the gates apart. "Finally!"

The sound of something being blown apart was enough to get Logan out from under the x-van. He stood up, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Blasted kids" He growled. The wind shifted. He narrowed his eyes. He didn't recognize the scent. He moved out of the garage and watched as a speeding motorcyclist was heading towards the mansion. The motorcyclist pulled on the brakes, spinning the bike around in a cloud of dust.

Logan's claws were out.

"Who the hell are you?" Logan asked. The rider was off the bike, letting it fall to the ground. Another motorcyclist was speeding down the driveway. With a sniff, Logan growled the rider's name. "Sabretooth."

The girl rider allowed her hands to surge with red energy. She ran towards Sabretooth in a strange game of chicken. Logan took off after her. As Sabretooth grew closer to the girl, blasts flew from her hands, taking out the motorcycle tires.

Sabretooth was flung over the handlebars of the bike, landing between the girl and Logan. He stood up and flung his helmet off.

"Sabretooth!" Logan growled. The man snarled at Logan.

"I ain't here for you, runt" Sabretooth growled. "Though I could make time if it means slicing you open."

Energy blasts forced Sabretooth to collide with the ground once again. The girl made her way over to Sabretooth, as did Logan.

"He's been following me since Canada" The girl said. As Sabretooth started to get up, she simply blasted him back into the dirt. "I can't even believe that I didn't recognize him until just now."

"How do you know this sick piece o' gutter trash?" Logan asked. The girl reached down, pulling Sabretooth to his knees by his hair. She held a hand near his throat, red energy dangerously close to Sabretooth's skin.

"Who are you?" The girl asked Logan. There was noise behind the three in the driveway.

"What's going on here?" Hank asked pushing through the students. "Sabretooth?"

"This bastard just doesn't get the message" The girl said looking angrily at Sabretooth. She increased the energy around her free hand, causing Sabretooth to growl in pain.

"My dear, I don't believe killing him will be the answer for anything" Hank said.

"Actually" Logan said. "I think she's on the right track."

"There are children watching" Hank said quickly. The girl let the energy fade from her hand.

"Thanks" Sabretooth growled reaching up to grab the girl's jacket. In a quick motion, Logan's boot connected with Sabretooth's nose, spraying blood onto the dirt. Sabretooth howled, releasing the girl behind him.

"What's going on here?" Jean asked pushing past the students. "Sabretooth."

"You guys all know this jerk?" The biker girl asked. Jean raised Sabretooth with her telepathy, keeping him from doing any harm to anyone.

"I want everyone inside, now" Scott ordered. The crowd groaned, but quickly moved inside. Once the students were inside, the biker girl turned to Jean.

"Can you send him flying off a cliff or something, red?" The biker girl asked. Jean narrowed her eyes.

"X-Men don't send people flying off of cliffs" Jean replied.

"He deserves it" The biker girl replied. The girl reached up and unsnapped the strap on her helmet.

"We'll take care of him. Who are you?" Scott asked. The girl pulled off her helmet, revealing her face to the others.

"I'm Jennifer Creed" The brown haired girl said. "Your new instructor."

"How come Sabretooth here was following ya?" Logan asked. Jennifer looked very disapprovingly at the blonde man.

"Unfortunately, this jerk is my uncle" Jennifer said.

"Uncle?!" Logan yelled.

"Logan, knock it off" Scott said. "Jean, bring Sabretooth. Let's get rid of him."

"You punks!" Sabretooth bellowed. He looked down at his niece. "I'll be back for you Jen! I'll eat you while you sleep!"

"Get bent, Pussycat!" Jennifer yelled at her uncle. He responded with a howl. Jennifer turned to Logan. "Where are they taking him? He's dangerous. They can't just let him go."

"Don't worry about it" Logan gruffed. "Believe me; we don't want him around just as much as you." Logan finally sheathed his claws and held out a hand to Jennifer. "Logan."

"You're Logan?" Jennifer asked. She shook his hand. Looking his 5'-6" frame over, almost being the same height, she said "I've heard a lot about you. Thought you'd be a little taller though."

"Hey" Logan said. Hank chuckled and approached the girl.

"My dear, I am Dr. Henry McCoy, but you can call me Hank" Hank said. Jennifer wasn't even fazed by his blue appearance. She smiled and held out her hand, which Hank shook.

"Nice to meet you Hank" Jennifer said. "Who were the two kids that left with Sabretooth?"

"That would be—" Hank said, his words getting cut off by the sounds of the blackbird overhead. "I'm sorry. As I was saying, those two were Scott Summers and Jean Grey." Hank glanced at his watch. His eyes were suddenly large. "Oh excuse me. My conference call starts in five minutes."

Hank hurried back to the mansion just as Ororo and Charles Xavier came out to the front.

"C'mon, darlin'. Let's get your bike parked" Logan said moving to help pick the fallen motorcycle up. One of the side bags had spilled a handful of clothes about and Jennifer was quick to pick up her stuff. "We'll have to get you introduced."

Introductions were done in the foyer since everyone was there anyway. Charles moved to address the students, who had been moved from the windows to the large stairwell.

"Can I have your attention please?" Charles asked. The chatter immediately died down and everyone stared at their new instructor. "This is Jennifer Creed, a new instructor here. Please be sure to show her the respect that she deserves."

Immediately hands went up and small murmurs went through the students.

"Quiet" The professor chided. "Bobby."

"Yeah, so what was up with Sabretooth showing up?" Bobby asked. Jennifer looked at the professor and then back at Bobby.

"He followed me from the Yukon Territory" Jennifer replied. "I thought I had lost him, twice."

Jennifer pointed to Kitty.

"Where are you from? Canada?" Kitty asked.

"Close. Alaska" Jennifer replied.

"Miss Creed will be one of your survival instructors, among other things" Charles chimed in. The hands were still up in the air. Charles pointed to Jamie, who had multiplied several times with his hand raised.

"How do you know Sabretooth?" Jamie asked. Some of the hands went down after the question had been asked.

"Just a figment from the past, kid" Jennifer replied. She picked up her saddlebags, which were at her feet. "Anyone mind showing me where my room is?"

"Kitty, Rogue, please show Jennifer to her room" Charles said. "The rest of you, since it is Saturday, you're free to carry on with your day."

"Flag football out back!" Imara shouted. The kids were out of the room in a matter of seconds.

"You're room is this way" Rogue called out. Jennifer climbed the stairs, following Rogue and Kitty.

Kitty and Rogue led Jennifer to a room that had 'dork' engraved on the door.

"Nice touch" Jennifer said pointing to the marking. Kitty and Rogue tried not to laugh as they pushed the door open.

"The guy who was in here had an attitude problem. The room's been empty for a few months now" Kitty said. Jennifer set her things on the bed and looked around the room. White walls, hardwood floor, small balcony that looked like it could hold two people, small closet, and a dresser.

"Looks fine" Jennifer said.

"Yeah, you can see the backyard from your balcony" Rogue said. She stared at the others who were outside playing flag football. Kurt made eye contact, waved, and got tackled. "Looks like they're all having a fun time."

"So Miss Creed, how'd you hear about us?" Kitty asked moving to sit on the bed.

"Firstly, call me Jennifer or something. Never have liked that last name" Jennifer replied. "Secondly, Xavier just up and called me one day."

"What did you do in Alaska?" Rogue asked. Jennifer opened her saddlebag, pulling out a large jar of pain killers.

"Whoa" Kitty said.

"I did a little this, little that. No real profession" Jennifer replied.

"Don't you have a degree or something? I didn't know that the professor was allowing like non-degrees to teach here" Kitty said. Jennifer pulled a folder from her bag and tossed it to Kitty.

"Don't be fooled, kid" Jennifer said. "Logan doesn't have a degree."

"Yeah, but he's like a trained soldier" Kitty said. She opened the folder and let her face fall into an expression of amazement. "There's like five degrees here!"

"Bingo" Jennifer said.

"Five degrees? But ya'll look like you're only a few years older then us" Rogue said. She came over to look at the degrees with Kitty.

"Hey, this one is from 1975" Kitty said holding up a history diploma from Washington State University.

"Whoa. That makes you at least 40 years old!" Rogue said.

"Are you like immortal or something?" Kitty asked.

"Or something" Jennifer replied. "I was born in 1937."

"You have a degree in history, English, fine art, justice, and Latin?" Kitty asked. "Wow."

"Why aren't you teaching somewhere else?" Rogue asked. Jennifer was putting away a small pile of clothes.

"I used to teach English at a high school, but that only lasted for a few years" Jennifer replied. "Mutants tend to attract trouble."

The girls watched as the brown haired woman pulled more things from her saddlebags.

"You know, we're just down the hall. I'm three doors to your left, Rogue is four doors down" Kitty said.

"Logan's right next door" Rogue said aiming her thumb to the far wall.

"Hank is on your other side, but he usually pulls late nights in the laboratory" Kitty said. "He's like totally quiet."

"Hank, the blue guy?" Jennifer asked.

"Yeah" Kitty said. "This is technically the older student wing, which is more or less co-ed."

"The younger students are more split up" Rogue said. "Ororo watches the girls with Jean's help. Scott and the professor maintain the boys ward."

"You know what? You should check out the afternoon training session" Kitty said. "Hank is totally teaching it, which means that it's going to rock."

"Perhaps I will" Jennifer replied. She paused and turned around, finding Logan standing in the doorway. "Logan."

"Whoa. Did you smell him or something?" Kitty asked.

"No" Jennifer replied.

"Girls, out" Logan said making his way into the room. Kitty handed the folder of degrees back to Jennifer and got off of the bed. Rogue pulled her out of the room, shutting the door behind her. With a silent signal, both girls pressed their ears to the door.

"No one bothered to tell me your name before you showed up" Logan said. "Had I known, you wouldn't be here, and I wouldn't of had to feign politeness."

"I'm not like Victor" Jennifer said. She poked Logan in the chest. "If I ever am, you can take me out."

"That's not a problem, darlin'" Logan said. Outside the door, Kitty and Rogue gave each other confused looks. "Less Creed's in the world, the better, if you ask me."

"Don't take your anger at Victor out on me" Jennifer growled.

"If I find out you're in cahoots with that murdering son of a bitch" Logan said letting his claws pop out between him and Jennifer. "I'll take care of the situation. You get me?"

Rogue and Kitty moved to Rogue's room, barely missing Logan storming out of Jennifer's room.

"Holy crap!" Rogue said.

"Isn't Victor Creed like Sabretooth?!" Kitty asked.

"Yeah. I remember it from the professor's files" Rogue said. "She's related to that monster."

By the time Hank's training session was underway, Jennifer was successfully unpacked, having retrieved her single box of belongings from the professor. Jennifer stood with Hank in the control booth, watching as the students went about with their training session. Hank had, in fact, invited Jennifer to test out the danger room, but not with the students.

"So it can change every time?" Jennifer asked.

"Precisely. No two sessions are ever the same" Hank said. He moved around with a certain grace that only Hank could manage, and changed up the program. They watched as the students battled with Hank's latest program. "So, my dear, how are you finding the school? Not too shabby I hope."

"I'll let you know after a week" Jennifer said. Hank raised an eyebrow. "Let's just say that one of my neighbors doesn't like me much."

"The kind of neighbor with three claws per hand is quite the dangerous one" Hank replied. The two watched in near silence until the program ended. "What do you think?"

"No problem" Jennifer replied.

"Wow, zey totally have the levels set on high" Kurt said from the control booth. The rest of the students watched as Hank and Jennifer ripped apart metal arms and blasted through metal walls. "Do you think zat is really a good idea?"

"Looks like they're doing just fine ta me" Rogue replied.

"Hank knows that we don't just set this thing on high the first time we use it" Kitty complained.

"She's basically just blasting through everything, so what's the big deal?" Bobby asked pointing out the fact that Jennifer was doing a fair job of tearing everything to shreds with her energy blasts.

"She makes it look so easy" Rogue said.

"Well, it's like not easy, Rogue" Kitty whined. The control room door slid open with a hydraulic sound. Logan stood there in his uniform.

"What're you kids still doing here?" Logan asked. "I thought your session with Hank was over."

"It is" Kurt said. "But now he's in zere with Jennifer and she's really tearing it up."

Logan moved so he could check out the session. With a glance he noticed the high settings and the particular program Hank was running. He sneered.

"Of course she's doing well" Logan said under his breath. He turned to the others. "Why don't you guys go hit the showers? I could smell you all from upstairs."

"You really need to learn some manners" Kitty huffed before leaving.

"What's her problem?" Rogue asked.

"Knowing Kitty? Mood swings" Kurt replied on his way out the door. Logan watched silently. Hank swung from a mechanical arm and landed on top of a handful of robots that had appeared. Jennifer, her hands surrounded by red energy seemed to slice through everything like a hot knife through butter. Jennifer flipped over one of the robots that approached her and proceeded to take its knees out once she landed.

Despite how he felt about her, Logan noted that she was indeed a good fighter.

"Behind you!" Hank yelled. Jennifer started to turn but was grabbed by two robots from behind; more moved in front of her, surrounding her. The robot before her, the closest one, swung at her face, making blood squirt from Jennifer's nose. "Jennifer!"

Hank tried to quickly make his way through the growing horde of robots, but was not quick about it. Logan watched with peaked interest. Jennifer's hands shot out energy blasts, frying half a dozen robots. The two robots that held her in place grabbed her arms and held them out at ninety-degree angles from her body.

"Hank! I need some help!" Jennifer screamed. She tried moving forward and managed to make the robots take a half step forward. Energy blasts shot wildly from her hands, but none of them hit much of anything. Hank slowly made his way towards the girl, but the surprising amount of robots kept him away. Jennifer let out a scream that nearly shook the walls as the robots holding her arms broke both arms with sickening snaps.

Jennifer collapsed to the ground as soon at the robots let her go. She knocked the feet out from both robots, but more appeared above her.

"Computer!" Hank yelled. It was too late, large robot feet came down on Jennifer's legs, crushing them. "End program!"

Logan pressed the emergency stop button on the control panel. A red light flashed in the danger room. The robots retreated to a side panel where they disappeared, leaving the room nearly empty. Hank rushed over to Jennifer, checking her for a pulse. The girl had a pulse, but she was not responsive to Hank. A hydraulic door opened.

"Is she okay?" Logan asked. He stood over Jennifer and Hank, watching as the bones that broke the surface of her skin readjusted themselves, healing.

"It appears that she has healing abilities" Hank said. He picked up the girl. "I'm taking her to the med lab."

Charles wheeled himself into the med lab where Hank was running basic tests on the newest instructor.

"How is she doing Hank?" Charles asked. Hank straightened his lab coat.

"She has fully healed herself, but something is not right" Hank replied. "If this had been Logan, he would have been up by now."

"Curious" Charles said. "She did tell me that she had some healing abilities, but nothing to the extent of Sabretooth's. Let her rest here for a while. Perhaps when she does come to, she can tell us more about her abilities."


	2. Comrades

Chapter 2: Comrades

"I do not see why we don't just knock" Peter said from the coverage of trees on Xavier's property. The gargantuan man stood next to a smaller man, who stood at 6'1".

"Dey not like us too much, mon ami" Remy whispered. They had watched a game of flag football finish up and were now biding time.

"No, no, my comrade. They would accept us" Peter said. "They might even help find little sister."

"Good luck with dat" Remy said. He looked up at the giant man beside him, his mind settling on an answer. "Look, you t'ink we can jus' waltz in, den let's try it."

"Pizdatyi" Peter said. The two emerged from the trees and moved to the front of the mansion. Strange as it seemed, Peter stood at the glass doors and rang the doorbell. He rang it again until someone emerged at the top of the stairs. "Ah Kitty!"

The young girl came to the front door and opened it.

"Colossus? Gambit! What are you two doing here?" Kitty asked. Peter picked up Kitty, giving her a hug.

"How has Kitty been doing since Apocalypse?" Peter asked. He set the confused girl down.

"Um, I'm like okay. Been training and stuff" Kitty replied. She looked over at Remy, who was lighting a cigarette. "Can you like, not smoke?"

"Oui, but I'm ignorin' you petite" Remy said. Kitty rolled her eyes.

"So what do you two want?" Kitty asked.

"To join the X-Men" Peter said. "Simple."

"You both want to join the team?" Kitty asked. She took a deep breath and stepped aside, letting them in. "You guys are going to have to talk with the professor about this.

"Yes. I must. I lose little sister shortly after arriving in America. Perhaps X-Men help?" Peter said.

"What about you?" Kitty asked looking at Gambit. He shrugged and was looking around.

"Seems like a fine t'ing ta do, besides Pete needs a caretaker half o'da time" Remy replied.

"I'm not good with American customs" Peter admitted. Kitty nodded and moved to an intercom that was planted into the wall. She pressed a button.

"Professor Xavier, you have two visitors" Her voice echoed throughout the mansion. "I'll move them to the lounge."

It had been a mere thirty minutes before Jennifer woke up with a start. Her hands flared up until she mentally noted that she was in some kind of medical lab.

"You're awake" Hank said moving over to her. Jennifer tried moving, but wore a pained expression.

"Pain killers" Jennifer said. Hank grabbed two blue pills from a jar and handed them to the woman with a small cup of water. Jennifer downed them and laid back down. "Thank you."

"That was quite a show you put on" Hank said. "Do you always take thirty minutes before reviving yourself?"

"You mean with the healing powers and all?" Jennifer asked. She swallowed. "Look, my healing powers are completely faulty. I might never have to wear a cast and I might never get sick, but the pain does me in. I've seen how Sabretooth can just walk away from getting hit by a truck. My power is faulty."

"Well at least you can heal very quickly" Hank replied. "Otherwise you'd be out for months with serious injuries."

"You sure know how to make a girl feel perfect" Jennifer chided. She sat up and crawled out of the bed. "I absorb medicine quickly, Hank."

"Mind if I escort you to your room?" Hank asked. "I'd feel better knowing—"

"I'll be fine" Jennifer replied. "Thanks."

With that said, Jennifer left the medical lab, the pain in her arms and legs subsiding quickly with the pain killers infiltrating her system.

"…Yes, sir" A man whispered into a cell phone. "As soon as I can…No she hasn't seen me yet." He paused, trying not to gain any attention. "I have the entire mansion behind me...Gee, I'm only the best gourmet chef this side of the Atlantic. Your confidence is most reassuring." He rolled his eyes and left the pantry with a twenty-five pound bag of flour. Michael Stahls was working two jobs, both of which he enjoyed.

A bamf sounded from the kitchen door. The kids never surprised him after the first week of working at the Xavier Institute.

"Give me a second Kurt" Michael said to the blue boy. To the phone he said "I'll give you a call later, okay?" He smiled and set the flour on the counter. "Alright, talk to you later." He got off of the phone and looked at Kurt, who was sitting on a bench that faced the counter. "What can I get for you Kurt?"

"I don't know" Kurt said. "My stomach is really growling though. Too much training."

"Do you like Italian?" Michael asked.

"Do I! I love Italian" Kurt replied with a smile. Michael was already at work, pulling out eggplant slices from the fridge.

"I have just the thing for you, young man" Michael said. "Give me about ten minutes or so." He retrieved a frying pan, added a little olive oil, and tossed in the circular piece of eggplant. "So I hear that there is a new instructor here."

"Oh yeah, Jennifer Creed" Kurt said. "She's a little different. I mean, she seems okay, but I think she might have some issues."

"Kurt, everyone has issues" Michael replied. He flipped the eggplant, trying to spread the oil evenly along the vegetable. "So what is this young lady's special gift? Does she have super strength or anything?"

"Nein. She shoots energy blasts from her hands" Kurt replied. Michael retrieved a handful of spices and seasoned the eggplant before flipping it once again. "Wow. Zat smells good."

"Thank you" Michael replied. He turned from the stove and hauled his flour over to a large bin. "If you have such a great interest in eating, perhaps I can teach you how to cook." Michael dumped the entire bag of flour into the bin and shut the lid.

"I don't know" Kurt said. "I mean, I wouldn't mind, but Kitty would want to try it and I'm sorry but that girl can't cook."

"I see" Michael said returning to the eggplant, which had a light purple ring between two darker purple rings on the outer skin. He turned down the heat, turning the veggie once again, and retrieved a ball of mozzarella. Kurt watched in hungry interest as Michael cut a slice of the cheese and set it on top of the eggplant.

"Maybe I could learn a little about cooking" Kurt said. He watched as Michael retrieved a round bun and sliced it in half. Michael pulled out a bit of spaghetti sauce, pouring it over the bottom half of the bun. Once the eggplant had melted most of the mozzarella, he plopped it onto the saucy bun, and popped it into the microwave for a few seconds. "Michael, you're killing me here. That smells great."

"Just a few more seconds, young man" Michael said with a smile. When the microwave beeped, Kurt was just about drooling. Michael put the top half of the bun onto the sandwich and passed it to Kurt. The teenager was immediately devouring the sandwich. Michael leaned against the counter. "Now, Kurt, if you want to learn about cooking there is no better way to learn then by starting with spices and herbs." Michael pulled out a notepad and a pen. "Can you get me these three herbs and spices? I forgot to pick them up the other day."

"Sure" Kurt said around a bite of his food. "No problem."

"I feel that you boys would have a difficult time gaining the trust of the others" Charles said. Remy and Peter were both reclining on the couch in the lounge facing the professor. "I won't pretend that you two weren't working with us most of the time. The fact is, most of the students who know you, think of you two as part of the 'bad guys' since you were with Magneto's Acolytes. You're also slightly older then a good portion of the students. But, if you two feel that you can deal with the others, then perhaps we'll have a trial go at it."

"Very good!" Peter said with a smile. "I try this trial with the X-Men."

"What about you Remy?" Charles asked.

"Sure t'ing" Remy replied. "As long as dere is no curfew."

"I'll have two rooms set up for you" Charles replied. "You two will be on the same floor as Logan, so watch yourselves."

After a quick shower and a change into her usual jeans and a tank top, Jennifer made her way down to where her bike had been parked. To her chagrin, Logan's bike was parked right next to it, and he was there working on it. Jennifer made her way over to her bike, moving it to give herself enough room to work.

"Logan" Jennifer said. Logan made a noise, which Jennifer took as a greeting. Looking around the garage, Jennifer quickly made note of where some of the basic items were. She stuffed a rag into her back pocket, grabbed an extra one, and started to collect a few tools that she'd need. She spread out her things on the cool concrete floor and got started.

It wasn't long before Logan turned on a stereo that played nothing other then Johnny Cash. Jennifer didn't mind. Johnny Cash was very good.

"So" Logan said after thirty minutes. "How're ya doin' after being creamed by ol' Chuck's danger room?"

"I'm fine actually" Jennifer said. She grabbed a wrench and started to undo a hex bolt.

"I don't think I've seen anyone get that hurt in there" Logan said. He stood up with a dirty air filter and tossed it into the garbage. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a new one.

"Well, not all mutants have super strength or indestructible skin" Jennifer said. She finally got the hex bolt off and started on the next one. Behind her Logan lit a cigar and puffed away.

"I heard you have healing abilities. Sure didn't seem like it" Logan replied. Jennifer stopped her work and looked back at him.

"I'm sure you're just the prime example of standard among mutants" Jennifer growled back at him. Logan shook his head and went back to replacing his air filter. Jennifer silently cleaned out as much of her engine as she could muster the energy for without having to take the whole thing apart. By the time she was done, she was just as dirty as Logan, if not worse.

"You look like you need a shower" Logan said. He had stuck around, pretending to read a pile of motorcycle magazines while drinking beer.

"You look like you need some help finishing off that flat there" Jennifer said pointing to the case of 24 beers. Logan chucked a beer at her, which she caught without a second glance. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it" Logan replied. Jennifer cleaned up her area with Logan pointing out where certain things went. Logan pulled on his cowboy hat and puffed at his cigar. "Don't think that my sharin' a beer and my company means that I trust you, Creed."

"Trust is a hard thing to come by" Jennifer said. She moved to sit on her bike while she finished drinking her beer. She reached down and let her fingers fiddle around with one of the hidden compartments on her bike. Logan watched, half sure that she'd pull out a grenade or some other device. Instead, Jennifer pulled out two things, one of those things was a fresh cusano cigar, and the other item was a small round object that clearly had an x-men symbol on it. She tossed the round object to Logan.

"Ever see anything like that before?" Jennifer asked. "I know its Xavier's trademark, but how I came to find it up in Alaska is beyond me."

Logan looked the piece over. It was about the size of a fifty-cent piece. Jennifer lit up the cigar and waited for Logan to give her an answer.

"We don't have anything like this" Logan said. "Looks like a communicator though."

"Any idea how to work it?" Jennifer asked. Logan poked and pushed on it, but nothing happened.

"No" Logan replied. "Have you shown this to the professor yet?"

"You're the first" Jennifer said. "What with the excitement today, I just didn't get to it."

Jennifer pushed herself off of her bike after draining the rest of her beer.

"Is that a cusano that you're smoking?" Logan asked handing the communicator back to her.

"Yeah" Jennifer replied. "Why, you want one?"

"I'm still working on this guy" Logan said holding up his three inch stump that he held between his fingers. Logan looked at the garage clock. Nearly dinner time. "Chuck hates these things in the house what with all the kids around. It's about time for dinner anyway."

"Fine" Jennifer said. Bringing up a red tipped finger, the smoldering end of her cigar was sliced off. She ground out the fallen glowing end with her boot. They closed up the garage, grabbed the extra beer, and headed for the mansion.

Ororo, Scott, Jean, and Hank sat across from Charles Xavier in his private study. The news of Peter and Remy's arrival sat awkwardly between them. Charles pushed a folder away from him. Politics were not the issue this time.

"I know that you all feel differently about our new comers" Charles said. "With the way things are going much danger should be expected. There is no side stepping that."

"But, Professor!" Scott interrupted. "Jean and I are both going to be off to college in a few months! With us gone—"

"With you gone, Scott" Charles said. "We will have to fill the gap that you both will leave until you, if you choose to, return."

"My dear kids, I don't think that you should feel as though we'd allow the institute to simply go to waste just because you two will be leaving soon" Hank said.

"Yes, please have more faith in us then that" Ororo said.

"I want you all to keep a watchful eye for any potential instructors here" Charles said. He took a long pause. "I also am thinking of building a separate building for the older students and instructors near the lake."

"That could greatly lessen the mansion's defenses!" Jean protested.

"It would also make it harder for any one person to attack us all at once" Charles replied. "I'll talk to Logan and Jennifer about it."

"I don't trust Jennifer" Jean said with a slight pout.

"That's safe for most everyone to say, Jean. She's brand new and we barely know her" Charles explained. "She is quite knowledgeable and could very much benefit the team."

"It's not like he asked Magneto to join the team, Jean" Scott whispered to Jean.

"Charles, I approve of all of this" Ororo said firmly. "I believe it would be wise to separate the older students and faculty from the younger students. I am not an architect though, neither are Hank, Scott, or Jean, so please don't ask us to design this new building."

"Of course not" Charles replied. "I've been thinking this over for a few months now. It just seems that with a few extra hands around here, now would be a good time to actually build it."

"Sounds like a good idea" Hank said with a smile. "As long as you don't mind my staying here in the mansion that is. I feel that I should be close to the lab at most, if not all, times."

"I would actually ask for at least two of you to stay in the mansion here" Charles replied. "To help with the others."

"I'll stay here as well" Ororo replied. Charles nodded, appreciating the help that he was receiving from his most trusted.

"Let's try to keep this hushed" Charles said. "I'm sure it won't take long for word to spread, but I don't want anyone to feel left out."

"Excuse me" Jennifer said moving down the hall in her bathrobe and shower supplies. The very tall, dark haired man smirked and stepped aside.

"My apologies" Peter said in his Russian accent. The man in the trench coat next to him studied Jennifer's backside, trying to memorize it.

"Laissez le bon temps rouler" Remy said with a chuckle. Jennifer stopped and glanced behind her, narrowing her eyes at the Cajun. Remy just smiled and moved into the room that was to be his.

Jennifer ignored the two that were moving in and knocked on the bathroom door. Logan had to be about finished now. He'd been in there for the last twenty minutes.

"Lay off, Eskimo!" Logan yelled through the door. There was a little noise and the door suddenly opened. Jennifer's bottle of shampoo slipped from her hands and created a chain reaction with everything else that she was holding. Logan, despite himself, bent down and helped her pick everything up. "Get yerself a tub to carry all of this shit around in. Got it?"

"What the hell were you doing in there?" Jennifer asked ignoring Logan's comment. Logan was in a pair of sweatpants. "Twenty minutes for a 'quick' shower?! I'd like to know what a long shower is for you."

"Shaddup" Logan growled. He picked up her red towel and flung it around her neck.

"Who're you're friends?" Jennifer asked. Logan looked over at Peter, who was intently studying a painting that was placed between his room and Remy's.

"Colossus" Logan grumbled. He sniffed the air and stood up. "Gambit." He took a few steps towards Colossus. "What're you doing here, tin man?"

"Please" Peter said holding his hands up. "Colossus and Gambit now friends of X-Men."

"Friends of the X-Men?" Logan asked. The bathroom door shut down the hall and Remy stuck his head out of his room.

"We're yer new teammates" Remy replied. "As ah hear it, we just in time for dinner too."

"Cripes! This place is going to the dogs" Logan said moving into his room.

At six o'clock a bell chimed three times throughout the mansion signaling that food would be served in five minutes. The rumble through the mansion was probably felt from the front gates as the young students and faculty made their way down to the dining room.

Jennifer stepped from her room, dressed once again in jeans and a tank top, only red this time, with her standard black harness boots. With Logan taking his time in the shower, she had barely gotten dressed before the bell chimed.

"Well, 'ello dere, cher" The Cajun said from his doorway. He had changed from his strange costume to jeans and a black t-shirt.

"Hi" Jennifer said. "You new here?"

"Oui" Remy said. "De name is Remy. You saw me earlier, no?"

"Yeah I saw you earlier" Jennifer said. She held out her hand. "Jennifer Creed. I'm new as well."

"Yeah, you and de wolverine seem to be close, conspirin' in de hallway earlier" Remy said shaking her hand.

"Logan and I are not exactly friendly" Jennifer said. The door next to Remy's opened and the hulking Russian came from his room in jeans and a tank top. "Who is this?"

"Dis is Peter. He from Russia" Remy said. Jennifer shook his hand.

"Jennifer Creed" Jennifer said.

"Peter Rasputin" Peter said with a smile. The three walked down to the dining room chatting about just arriving and making general small talk. Peter talked about the paintings that he had seen displayed in the mansion and Remy remained a little quieter.

"What're you doin' here?" Rogue asked when the three walked into the dining room. Remy gave her a big smile and planted himself in the chair opposite her at the table.

"Jus' joinin' de team. Why? You miss Gambit?" Remy asked.

"Course not" Rogue said.

"Excuse me" Charles said as the food was being brought out to the table. "My students." Everyone looked at Charles. "Do not be alarmed. We have gotten a new instructor today, Miss Creed, as well as two new teammates, Remy LeBeau and Peter Rasputin. I expect you all to treat them with the same courtesy that you treat each other with. With this said, lets enjoy this meal that Michael has prepared for us."

The covers to the food were lifted away, revealing a whole plethora of food. There were two roasted chickens, a bowl of pasta salad, three baskets of dinner rolls, a sliced melon, steamed broccoli, fried potatoes, and two pineapple upside-down cakes.

"Dis looks good" Remy said reaching for a roll.

"Much better then all of that fast food" Peter agreed.

"You two were just eating fast food?" Jean asked. Remy and Peter nodded emphatically. She made a face and looked over at Scott, who was piling up on broccoli. "That's gross."

"What are we doing tomorrow? Shopping?" Kitty asked a few girls that were around her.

"Always ze girls and zere shopping" Kurt said. He was elbowed in the ribs by Jubilee.

"Ya know, there's a lot of important things to learn at the mall" Jubilee said while chewing a chunk of chicken. "Like what colors go with blue, and which ones don't."

Kurt rolled his eyes at the girls and turned to look down the table at the others. Why did he choose to sit by the younger students?

"Professor" Jennifer said. She pulled the communicator out of her pocket and passed it to him. "That's the strange device that I told you that I had found back home."

"This is strange" Charles said looking the piece over. "I've never produced anything like this before."

"Perhaps we should dissect it" Hank said trying not to stare at it. Charles handed it over to Hank.

"Thank you Jennifer. We'll look into it" Charles replied. The rest of dinner was fairly uneventful. Peter and Remy seemed to fit in with the others, despite nasty looks from Logan and Rogue. Jennifer wound up debating with Hank over which play was better: Hamlet or Macbeth. "Jennifer, after dinner, would you be as kind as to talk with me in my study?"

"Sure thing" Jennifer said.

"Good morning, kiddies" Jennifer puffed on the cigar stub that she had clenched between her teeth. Following Xavier's suggestion of clearing a new space for the new construction, Jennifer had decided to plant her feet as an instructor with this. She wore leather gloves, one of Hank's coveralls which made her look smaller then she was, heavy black boots, and a ball cap that displayed a skull and crossbones. The students, who had been drug out of bed at an early 8:00 am, were dressed somewhat similarly. "We have a project that can take as long as you want it to."

"Great, then I say it's over" Bobby groaned. Jennifer smirked and paced before the kids.

"Here's what we have to do" Jennifer said. She pointed to the marked off area behind her. "That needs to be cleared."

"No problem" Peter said with a smile. He immediately started to turn into his metallic mutant self.

"No!" Jennifer said before anyone moved. "The challenge is to clear the area without mutant powers." Peter changed back and the others groaned. "Anyone caught using their powers gets to spend two hours training with Logan and Ororo this afternoon."

"Well, like what kind of incentive do we have to NOT use our powers?" Kitty asked.

"For those of you who don't use your powers, there is a surprise at the end" Jennifer said. She gestured to a table that held a variety of saws, axes, plant snippers, and other such tools. There were also two large carts. "First off, I'm going to divide you guys into teams. Secondly, we will need to work together in order to get this done."

"Wait a second" Rogue said. "Why are we clearing this second of the property?"

"Didn't anyone tell you guys?" Jennifer asked. "The professor is going to be building a new area for the older students and instructors. This is where it is going to be. The construction crew is set up to be here by Wednesday and we don't need them to become spooked over how the area was cleared. Everyone understand?" The kids nodded, though this spurred on small gossip amongst the group. "Listen up! I want you guys to cut as low to the ground as you can. If you have any trees that look overly large, I want you to come get me."

"Oh man" Kurt groaned. Jennifer gestured to a table that was next to the one with the tools.

"There is water available and Jean assured me that she'd bring out some snacks sooner then later" Jennifer said. "Bobby, I want you and Ray to maintain a fire. Go get the hose." She was pacing again. "Peter, I want you and…"

"Good morning" Hank said making his way out to the group. "Need any help?"

"Hank! Just the blue man I was looking for" Jennifer said. "Will you help Peter with loading and unloading the carts?"

"Sounds like cake" Hank replied. Jennifer put out her cigar and shoved it into her pocket.

"Oh good" Jennifer said. She looked at the others. "Amara, Jubilee, and Rhane you two are going to go behind the others to get small shrubs and plants. The rest of you, partner up, grab a saw, and let's cut down some trees. I want each tree that we cut down to fit in the carts."

The group dispersed with Jennifer taking the lead with a hack saw. She immediately went to the nearest tree and started to saw away. Hank came up and guided the 30 foot tree down to the ground.

"You're quite fast with that saw" Hank said.

"Thanks" Jennifer said. "I've cleared my share of brush and trees."

"As a cart man, can I still help you cut this tree up?" Hank asked.

"No problem" Jennifer replied with a smile. Hank retrieved a handsaw and proceeded to help cut the tree into thirds. "So what do you think? This isn't too hard for these guys, right?"

"Physically, no, but the restraint should be agony to each one" Hank said with a smile. "I definitely approve."

About forty feet away, Kitty, Danielle, and Rogue were groaning about having to be up so early on a Sunday.

"Don't they like, sleep in, or anything in Alaska?" Kitty complained.

"Did you guys know anything about a new building going up? I don't think I heard anything about it" Danielle said as she was slicing through the trunk of the tree. Rogue was bent over pulling up brush.

"I'm wonderin' what the big surprise at the end is" Rogue said.

"I hope it's not something dumb like ice cream" Kitty said. "It would totally not be worth it."

"Here, let me give the saw a try" Rogue said taking over for Danielle.

"Wow. Looks like Jennifer already has a tree taken care of" Danielle said. The girls watched as Jennifer and Hank loaded up the three parts of the tree they had been cutting. As soon as Hank pulled the cart away, Jennifer went to the next tree and seemed to attack it with the saw.

"Zat girl is nuts" Kurt said stopping his sawing for a moment. He was near the girls and was working with Roberto. "Look at her. She's like attacking the tree, not cutting it down."

"I wonder if she was a lumberjack or something" Roberto said with a smirk.

"She doesn't look like any kind of lumberjack that I've ever seen" Rogue said. She paused. "Okay, this tree's about to come down."

"We got it" Kitty and Danielle said bracing the tree. Rogue sliced through the trunk until the entire thing started to fall over. It landed with a guided fall, barely missing Rhane, who was collecting a number of new growth trees.

"Hey! Watch it!" Rhane said before taking her pile to Peter's cart.

About fifty feet from the markers, Bobby and Ray were busy setting up their fire area. They each had a hose, they each had collected a newspaper to wad up in order to start the fire, and they both were sure that they had the best job.

"Here you are boys" Hank said bringing them their first load. They started to help Hank unload, creating a nice pile with the tree. As soon as Hank left, the boys started to stuff the newspaper under the tree logs, and they lit it up.

"This is the best job ever" Bobby said. "Good thing we're not helping with the trees."

"That's for sure" Ray said. He bent down and lit the newspaper on his side of the fire. "Who do you think will be the first to break?"

"My bet is on Roberto" Bobby said. "Can't use his super strength today. That'll tear him apart."

"What about Jamie, dude?" Ray asked. "He can't even stay in one piece through breakfast."

"Here you are" Peter said hauling a cart of low brush to the boys. "Fuel for the fire."

"Thanks" Bobby said moving to help collect the brush.

By the time Jean brought out the snacks, the clearing was two-thirds cleared. Kurt had been the first one to use his powers, attempting to teleport a bunch of trees to a clear area. Jamie had been the next, after deciding that five bodies worked better then one. Sam and Roberto had both tried to see who could rip out the largest tree by themselves, both wound up using their powers. Rhane was out after trying to dig a stump out in wolf form.

"Man this is hard work" Kitty said.

"It's called labor" Jennifer said. "It builds a strong work ethic."

"It also builds fine muscle and stamina" Hank said munching on an apple wedge. "The better to get yourself asked out with."

"Oh yeah?" The every skinny Kurt said. He had stuck around for a snack before his retreat back to the mansion. "And when was the last time you were asked out?"

"Uh…well, I…" Hank stammered.

"Hank and I are going out tonight, elf man" Jennifer said with a smile.

"We are?" Hank asked under his breath. "I mean, yes, we are. I thought I'd show Jennifer around Bayville."

Kurt rolled his eyes and headed off to talk to the others. Jennifer elbowed Hank and moved to sit up on the table next to the saws.

"Uh, thank you" Hank said. "Sometimes they just don't understand why I don't get out."

"What are you talking about?" Jennifer asked. "I'll be ready around seven tonight."

Jennifer hopped off the table after finishing her water and went back to work.

"Oh my stars and garters" Hank groaned to himself. "I have a date."

Note: For anyone who notices, I did realize that I was spelling Amara's name wrong at first. Sorry. It's fixed now. Also, I want to point out that if these characters don't seem entirely like they do from the cartoon, that's probably due to the fact that I've been reading X-Men comics for the last...XX years. Oi! The real double digit there makes me feel like way old! Oh yeah, Jennifer Creed is just someone I made up. If you like her that much, go ahead and use her in a fan fic. I don't mind.


	3. Surprise!

Chapter 3: Surprise!

As time grew close to noon, Jennifer called a break, which everyone seemed to be more then thrilled over. Hank went inside to get started on looking into the strange communicator. The field was indeed clear now and they were in the middle of using heavy rakes to rake up any brush that had slipped by them.

"Oh man, that fire is killing me" Bobby said. "I'm going to melt away."

"Well at least you didn't have to cut down trees" Amara said. "I have five splinters."

Jennifer had wandered over to the lake and sat down on a large rock. Despite the complaining in the background, the institute seemed fairly peaceful. Somehow it reminded her of home, but with different flora.

"Nice out here t'day" Remy said moving to sit next to her. Jennifer looked over at him. He looked as if he had just stepped out from a shower.

"Not willing to help the others?" Jennifer asked.

"I don' t'ink dey like my help much" Remy replied. "'Sides, I get t' help Logan with some training session lata'."

"From what I hear, he's a hard ass" Jennifer said. "Good luck."

'T'anks" Remy said. He looked over his shoulder at the group of kids behind him. "Dey just a bunch o' kids, ya know?"

"Yes they are" Jennifer said chucking a small pebble into the lake. "Hopefully you'll all become adults." Remy looked at her as if she were crazy. "I've seen too many mutants get killed in my life to be fooled into thinking that the worst hasn't happened yet."

"Dat be a little creepy t'inking, cher" Remy said. "Best t' stay positive, no?"

"Sure" Jennifer said with a smile. There was some yelling from behind them. Peter was trying to calm the others down while Bobby and Ray both tried to make the fire as big as they could. "Excuse me, Remy. It looks as though the kids are about to run rampant." Jennifer made her way over to the fire, which had flames reaching nearly ten feet into the air. "Bobby! Ray!"

"What?" They both asked with guilty expressions. The others just watched, as if they were watching a television show.

"What in the hell do you two think you're doing?" Jennifer yelled. She picked up a hose and squirted the fire, causing a big cloud of smoke, but managing to take down the height of the fire by a good five feet. Once that was done, she wasted no time in spraying Ray and Bobby both in the faces. "You two could have caused this fire to spread. You're lucky that the wind isn't very strong today, otherwise there's a good chance that this fire could have reached the grass or those trees over there!"

"Sorry" Ray said wiping his face off.

"You both are out of here" Jennifer said. "You both just earned yourself some time with Logan in today's training session." They grumbled and opened their mouths to complain. "Putting people in danger, putting the land around us in danger, and not paying attention will never get you anywhere. Go!"

The two boys left with their heads down.

"Anyone else want to hang out with the fire?" Jennifer asked.

"I'll do it, as long as someone brings me some lunch" Rogue said.

"Yeah I'll sit here with it too. No point in leaving anyone out here alone" Kitty said. "I feel so gross though."

"I'll go get you guys some food" Danielle said. "Is that okay, Miss Creed?"

"Sure" Jennifer said. "We're just about done here. We just have to wait for this pile to burn."

From a window in the mansion, two men watched the group below. Charles looked mildly amused while Scott was in the midst of trying not to pout. They watched as Danielle ran towards the mansion.

"What do you think of her, Scott?" Charles asked. Scott turned from the window and moved to sit in one of the plush chairs in the library.

"I think that this 'training' session of hers is ridiculous" Scott said. "They cleared a marked area. Big deal."

"Scott, you must look at this as a group exercise" Charles said. He moved to pat the young man on the shoulder. "She laid down the ground rules, worked with the group, involved everyone, and got two-thirds of the students to NOT use their powers to accomplish their goal. Logan can barely pull those numbers."

"I suppose" Scott muttered. He looked agitated. "We just don't know much about her except that she's related to Sabretooth."

"If you were related to Apocalypse, would that change anything about you?" Charles asked.

"No, but—" Scott stammered.

"Then you must get over it Scott" Charles said simply. "I am related to Juggernaut, as you know. It does not mean that I AM Juggernaut."

"Yes, sir" Scott replied with an understanding nod. He looked back at the window and changed his posture to recline back a little. "I'm not sure how I feel about Gambit and Colossus being here."

"I feel that most of the students feel that way, although Jennifer is taking quite well to them" Charles said.

"Yeah, but she doesn't know them like we do" Scott said. "I don't know what's going to happen when school starts up. What'll happen to the team?"

"I appreciate your urge to lead the team Scott" Charles said with a smirk. "But, let me reassure you that there are plenty of us around here who will be keeping our eyes on the team. Your absence will be missed, greatly by my self, but it will allow you to grow, to expand." Charles moved back to the window. "You need to allow yourself to live a little, while you're still young."

"I suppose you're right" Scott said. "I can still come up here on long weekends and breaks though."

"Precisely" Charles said. Scott sighed and looked around the room.

"I heard Peter say something about needing a ride to a storage unit" Scott said. He stood up. "I'm going to see if he still needs a ride."

"Drive safely, Scott" Charles said watching the young man leave.

As the day progressed, lunch had come and gone, the fire had turned into a smoldering pile of charcoal, and overhead the clouds grew dark of their own accord. Still outside, Jennifer and her group were lounging in camp chairs around the fire.

"So does this mean that we all get that surprise o' yours?" Rogue asked. All eyes focused themselves on Jennifer.

"We have to wait for Peter" Jennifer said. Peter had left with Scott in a pick-up truck nearly an hour and half earlier, and had yet to return.

"Okay, but **what is** the surprise?" Jubilee asked. Somewhere, somehow, lollipops had emerged and most of the girls had one in their mouth. Jennifer suspected Jubilee.

"Why don't we just keep it a surprise?" Jennifer suggested. She looked at the smoldering charcoal before her. "Let's put this out. I want everyone showered into the van as quickly as possible."

The girls, that's who was left, quickly managed to put the fire out with the hoses. The smoldering charcoal was left a muddy pile of charcoal.

"I appreciate this, comrade" Peter said moving the last box into the truck. They had stopped by the storage unit that Peter and Remy had rented and completely cleaned it out.

"It's not really a problem" Scott said. So far, he and the Russian had managed small talk. "So why'd you come to America? To join Magneto?"

"No" Peter said closing up the back of the truck. Scott gestured for him to get into the truck. "Yes. I mean…uh, what is word? Kidnap?"

"You were kidnapped?" Scott asked after shutting his door. He started up the truck.

"No. Little sister" Peter said. His shoulders slumped and he looked out the window. "Magneto promise to help me find her, but she is still gone."

"Are you sure she's here in the states?" Scott asked pulling away from the storage facility.

"No" Peter said. "But, it is where I am, so I must look."

"What's her name?" Scott asked.

"Her name is Illyana" Peter said. "She is twelve."

"You know" Scott said heading towards the mansion. "I just found my little brother not long ago."

"Then perhaps there is hope for my little sister" Peter said. An awkward silence hung in the air.

"So…" Scott said. They waited for a light to turn green. "I noticed that you helped outside today."

"Yes" Peter said. "I am used to hard work. I used to be farmer."

"You used to be a farmer?" Scott asked with a smile. Peter looked at him, picking up on Scott's disbelief.

"I was a good farmer" Peter said. "In fact, that is how I discovered my powers." Scott nodded his head, welcoming the chatter. "Illyana had come out to see me in the fields. She was very young and did not see tractor. I transformed and saved her."

"Wow" Scott muttered. "What about the tractor driver? Was he okay?"

"Father was fine" Peter nodded. "He jumped from tractor when he saw me change."

"Nice" Scott said trying to keep his tongue in check. His mind was playing the 'what if?' game. "What was the surprise today? I mean, since you were working with Jennifer. I know she had something as a surprise."

"I do not know" Peter said.

Scott and Peter pulled up just in time to watch Jennifer come out from the mansion in jeans and a baggy sweatshirt that simply said 'Alaska' across the chest. Noticing the truck, she crossed the driveway to them. Peter rolled down his window and Jennifer leaned in.

"Hey guys" Jennifer said with a smile. "Peter, the surprise is underway if you'd like to join us."

"What is surprise?" Peter asked. He threw a look over to Scott, who shrugged.

"If I told ya, it wouldn't be a surprise" Jennifer said. "The girls are all getting ready. If you want to go, meet us at the van."

"I can get this stuff moved in with Remy's help" Scott said.

"Are you sure?" Peter asked. He felt strange just leaving his things with people he barely knew. His conscience told him that these were the good guys and they would not steal, but he was not used to listening fully to his conscience. "I do not want my things stolen."

"I'll make sure that no one takes anything" Scott said with a smile. "Your boxes were all marked, right?"

"Yes" Peter said. Scott clapped him on the shoulder in a friendly gesture before getting out of the truck. Jennifer moved, allowing Peter to leave the truck. "I will trust you, Scott."

"Thanks, Peter" Scott said. From the mansion, Kitty, Rogue, Amara, Jubilee, and Danielle emerged full of chatter. Scott smirked. "Good luck on this 'surprise'."

"Hmph" Peter muttered. Jennifer led the group to the van and they drove away in a cloud of dust and teenage hormones.

"So, dis is how de Wolverine always train?" Remy asked after regrouping with Logan and Kurt after nearly getting hit by a pendulum. The danger room was set up to look like a jungle, but with all the fun features that the danger room usually offered.

"No" Logan growled. "I usually train alone."

The ground shook and Kurt's eyes grew large. "What's zat?!"

From the thick jungle a giant tyrannosaurus rex emerged. Remy charged up a few cards and threw them, effectively knocking the dinosaur back. Logan just charged at the beast.

"Mein Gott!" Kurt shrieked. He looked over at Logan and smiled. He had just the plan. Teleporting himself, Kurt landed just behind Logan. "Ride to the top?"

"Sure" Logan growled. In a split second, they were above the roaring dinosaur. Logan dropped onto the rex's head and started to plant his claws deep into the head cavity.

On the other side of the danger room, the others were having some trouble. They had found themselves being hunted by a group of raptors. Rhane, half in wolf form, sniffed the air.

"I think there are six of them" Rhane said. "I'm not sure though."

"I can't see them anymore" Bobby said. "It's like they disappeared."

"If I knew that this is what I'd be doing just because I used my powers to clear that stupid field, then I wouldn't have used them" Sam groaned.

"We didn't even use our powers" Ray said. The brush was alive with clicks and reptilian sounds.

"Then why are you here?" Rhane asked.

"Jennifer said we were 'endangering' others" Bobby said. Had the situation not been in the danger room, he would have pouted.

"Look, those plants just moved!" Jamie said. He already had multiple copies of himself ready for a fight.

"Let's just make a move" Bobby said. The group was already standing back to back. "Just use your powers and let's see if we hit anything!"

"I can't just shoot lasers from my eyes" Jamie said.

"Well…pick up a rock or something" Bobby replied.

"Alright" Ray said. "One…Two…Three!"

Rhane changed into a wolf and half charged towards the brush, snarling. Jamie and his copies threw rocks. Sam blasted off into the foliage. Ray and Bobby blasted through the dark leaves with ice and energy blasts. Roberto flew upwards, to see if anything was coming.

"Rhane, Jamie!" Roberto yelled as he saw three raptors charging through the brush. Bobby missed hitting anything, except for a tree. Ray managed to hit a raptor, taking it out. Sam also hit a raptor and was hurrying back to the group. Roberto flew down and stood before Rhane and Jamie. The three raptors emerged, hissing and shrieking. The group started attacking anything that moved with all they had.

"This is the life" Kitty mumbled. Jennifer had arranged the surprise to be massages and body wraps at the Bayville Institute of Massage Therapy and Healing Arts. Kitty, Amara, and Peter were the first three to get massages. The others were getting body wraps.

The next room over, Peter had drifted off and his masseur found that the large man was not going to be easy to coax into waking up. Amara, in the third room, was also asleep. The body wraps were going just as well, despite Jubilee's chattiness.

"…And so then I was like 'dude, that red dress was totally mine!' Can you believe some people? When you have the dress on the hook by the mirror, it's totally yours. You should be able to walk away to look for shoes and NOT have to worry about some jerk takin' yer stuff" Jubilee ranted on to the unfortunate who was painting on the blue-green algae mix. Even through the thick walls Jennifer could hear the young girl prattling on about her adventures at some mall.

As the danger room session came to an end, Logan stood in front of the group. The only ones who didn't manage to tear up their uniforms, aside from Logan, were Remy, Bobby, and Kurt. In fact, the only person who managed to keep up with Logan had been the Cajun.

"Look, you all did fine" Logan said. "Rhane, Jamie, I want you two to spend more time working together. You two need it."

"I work wit' dem later" Remy said. Logan narrowed his eyes at Remy.

"No. I'll work with them" Logan said. "You don't know anything about their training."

"Well, you jus' ask if you need my help" Remy said. Logan cracked his neck.

"I think we almost died out there" Ray said. "Several times over."

"Sometimes direct force is not the best answer" Kurt said. He was met with glares.

"Go shower, kids" Logan said. "You have the rest of the night off."

With grumbles of joy, the kids managed to crawl from the danger room to the shower rooms. Remy lingered behind with Logan.

"I t'ink I like dis room, mon ami" Remy said. Logan went over to a panel and shut down the room for the night. "You must teach dis Cajun how to run it."

"Ya gotta be trustworthy first, Cajun" Logan growled.

"You give it a week" Remy said. The two walked towards the shower room where someone shrieked and then yelled at Bobby.

The shop door opened with a hydraulic sound. Charles made his way over to the highly lit area where Hank was working. The shop was full of electronics, engines, pieces of metal, welding equipment, and all kinds of other stuff. It served as an airplane shop to an automotive shop to a mechanical diagnostic shop.

"How's it going with that communicator, Hank?" Charles asked.

"It's most impressive" Hank replied. He wore a headband with a magnifying glass that made half of his face appear to be out of proportion. "I'm not an electronics expert though. I don't know where half of this technology is from. I did find one thing though."

Hank moved a strange microscope looking piece of equipment around. He flipped on a monitor and the communicator was displayed on the screen. Hank moved in, watching the screen, and with tweezers, held a wire out of the way of the camera. A small stamp on a metal piece held a name and a year.

"What is that? A model number?" Charles asked.

"No. PDC is the name of the company" Hank said. "2084, is the year."

"You're saying that this piece of equipment came from the future?" Charles asked. Hank moved away from the communicator, to the laptop that rested on the other end of the table.

"Exactly" Hank said. "PDC, whatever it stands for, does not even show up on the usual search listings. I don't think the company exists yet."

"I wonder who or what has come back in time" Charles said.

"They might not even be here" Hank said. "This communicator doesn't look well used, but the owner might be back in the future by now."

"Hank, good work" Charles said. "If you find anything else, let me know. I'll spend more time with cerebro to see if I pick up any unusual readings." Hank started to clean up his area. "Not working the night through?"

"I…have a date, actually" Hank said sheepishly.

"You have a date?" Charles said surprised.

"With Miss Creed" Hank said. "So I need to get ready."

"She just got here" Charles said. Hank smirked and closed the laptop. "Well, have fun."

"I'm just showing her around Bayville" Hank replied. "It's more of a pity date."

"Right" Charles said moving towards the door with a smile. "Hank, if it's a pity date, then why do you seem excited?"

"I…" Hank said speechless. If he was able to blush through his fur, he would have.

Jennifer emerged from her massage feeling like a wet noodle. Jubilee and Rogue dragged themselves both into the waiting room looking like they felt about the same way.

"I can't believe I just got a massage" Rogue said sitting in a chair.

"It wasn't too awkward with them wearing gloves was it?" Jennifer asked. Rogue looked to be in seventh heaven.

"I feel like my bones are gone" Rogue replied with a smile. A few minutes later Peter led the others into the waiting room.

"That was like the best thing ever" Jubilee said. A sucker hung from her lips. "You know what would top it off? Hot chocolate. Hot chocolate with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry!"

"Haven't you had enough sugar?" Kitty asked. Jubilee rolled her eyes and bit down on her sucker.

"Girls" Jennifer said in a warning tone. Jennifer handed her credit card to the lady at the front desk. "Look, I need a cup of coffee, so we'll stop by the café next door. Jubilee, try not to consume too much sugar. Kitty, don't worry about Jubilee's sugar in-take."

"Thank you, Miss Creed" The lady behind the counter said handing back the card with a receipt. Jennifer signed and shoved the card into her pocket.

"To the café" Jennifer said gesturing to the door. Peter stopped before Jennifer.

"Thank you, Jennifer. The massage was most appreciated" Peter said with a smile.

"You looked like you needed it, Peter" Jennifer said with a smile. As if Peter had told the others to follow suit, there was a group cry of thanks as they all made their way to get coffee.

The café was heavy with the scent of espresso and milk. It had been a long time since Jennifer had gotten a good cup of coffee. It used to be an art, but times have changed and no one wanted to take the time to make a descent cup of coffee anymore.

"What can I get for you?" The tattooed man behind the counter asked. He had a marker in one hand and the other was poised near the cups.

"Triple cappuccino, dry, nutmeg" Jennifer said. The others followed with sweeter drinks, except for Peter, who just ordered a plain latte. Again, Jennifer paid and the group rejoiced.

"Ororo and Logan never did this for us" Amara said. The drinks appeared at the far end of the counter a few minutes later and they all claimed their drinks.

"Well, I can't promise that I'll do this all the time, but sometimes its nice to have some positive reinforcement" Jennifer said.

Logan and Remy were both in the den watching a motocross race. Both were in sweatpants and both were working on a case of beer. Ororo came in and scrunched up her nose.

"You two" She scolded. Both men looked up at her and smirked. "You know you are not to drink around the children."

"Yeah, right" Logan said before taking a noisy sip of his beer. "See any kids around?"

"Well…not at the moment" Ororo said trying to keep her thunder. "It's not even dinner time though and already you two are halfway done with that case."

"Oh good. Food" Remy said. "Stormy, you cookin' cher?"

"Do not call me 'Stormy' and no I'm not" Ororo said. "With it being Michael's only day off, perhaps we should ask Kitty to cook dinner."

"You wouldn't dare" Logan grumbled. Ororo crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Give me a friggin' break, 'Ro. I live here too! If I want a fuckin' beer, then I'm going to have one!"

"Pigs" Ororo said before walking out of the den. Remy watched her leave.

"She don' like us drinkin' eh?" Remy said. "Don' she drink?"

"She drinks" Logan said. "I've smelled it on her breath before. She just doesn't drink in front of anyone, unless it's wine or champagne."

"At leas' we drink t'gether" Remy said. He watched the motorcycles race along the dirt track on the television. "P'haps we should grill some burgers or somet'ing. De little ones, dey be hungry soon."

"Grillin' meat sounds good t' me" Logan said. He stood up. "I'll go pull some stuff from the freezer. Let me know if number 62 gets behind."

"No problem" Remy said.

Logan went into the kitchen, heading for the 'cold room', which was basically a small walk in freezer. He stopped when he saw Kurt sitting alone.

"You okay?" Logan asked. He finished his beer and tossed it into the garbage.

"Yeah, just looking at this cookbook" Kurt said. Logan glanced at the cookbook before continuing on to the freezer.

"Well, the Cajun and I are going to be grilling some burgers and stuff" Logan said. "You want to make something for dinner?"

"Sure!" Kurt said with a smile. "I can make potato salad and maybe a cake!"

"And maybe you can make something green too" Logan said from the freezer. He walked out with a bag of burger patties and a package of hot dogs. He tossed the frozen meat into the sink. "Those need to thaw for a while."

Kurt was already up and around the counter. He was pulling on an apron and flipping through his cookbook. Logan kept his tongue and returned to the den. As soon as he was settled with another beer in his hand and updated by Remy, the front door opened. It was just a matter of seconds before the little girl, who seemed to have a thing for him, found him. Arms wrapped themselves around his neck making him almost spill his beer, a face pressed next to his, and the smell of chocolate and sugar could be smelled.

"Hiya, Wolvie!" Jubilation said. "We just got back from a trip to the spa! That was like our big surprise! I got a massage and a body wrap, which was like kind of gross, but this totally hot guyblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah!"

Logan tried to tune out the young Chinese girl, but it didn't work, especially when her latest sucker stick poked him in the cheek.

"Jubes, will ya shut up, darlin'?" Logan said finally pushing her arms away. She stood up and jumped over the couch to sit next to him.

"Whatcha watchin'? Motorcycles?" Jubilee asked. Remy raised an eyebrow at Logan.

"Motocross in Virginia" Logan said. Jubilee pulled off her shoes and took her yellow jacket off.

"When I lived in Australia for like three months, I totally knew this guy who raced motorcycles" Jubilee said.

"Hey!" Remy said. "We're tryin' t'watch the race, petite."

"You're not supposed to drink beer around us" Jubilee said. She made a pouting face when Logan gave her a look. "Fine."

"Is someone going to make some food?" Jubilee asked with a little less spunk then before. Remy and Logan both looked at her with the same look that said 'shut up'.

An hour later, Hank made his way downstairs. He could smell burgers and hot dogs being grilled on the barbecue outside. After a quick check, he could see Logan, Remy, Scott, and Bobby outside while the barbecue smoked. The house seemed quiet though.

Hank made his way into the kitchen. "Kurt?"

"Oh, hi Dr. McCoy" Kurt said. He had yellow chunky mush in a bowl, he had something that looked kind of like macaroni and cheese in another bowl, and he was currently stirring something brown.

"What are you doing?" Hank asked.

"I made potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and I'm currently getting a chocolate cake ready" Kurt said with a smile. The kitchen looked like a war zone and suddenly Hank felt better about going out.

"Well, perhaps you should cook something green" Hank said. "Like green beans or broccoli or a nice salad."

"I think we could go with a salad" Kurt said. "Good idea."

"Just make sure you clean up before Michael sees this mess" Hank replied. Kurt looked at Hank, as if he just noticed him.

"You don't look bad for your date" Kurt said. "I mean…I mean, you look good for your date."

"Thank you" Hank said. He had put on a pair of black dress pants and a simple black shirt.

"Where are you going?" Kurt asked. He peeked at his recipe and then dumped the mix into a cake pan.

"I'm not sure" Hank replied. "Know of any mutant-friendly places?"

Kurt thought it over as he stuck his cake into the oven and set the timer. "I once took Amanda to Lancington, but I had my image inducer."

"Oh" Hank said. "Perhaps I should make some calls before Jennifer comes downstairs."

"Too late" Kurt said glancing behind Hank. Jennifer was standing in the doorway in a green strapless dress that stopped at the knee, her jacket and purse in one hand. She smiled and looked Hank over.

"And here I thought I was one of the only people who was always early" Jennifer said. Her smile faded a little when she noticed the kitchen. "Oh my god. What happened in here?"

"I'll clean it up" Kurt said. He already had a rag in his hands.

"You know, Kurt, it's usually easier to clean as you go" Jennifer said.

"Yes, thanks" Kurt said scrubbing at the counter. Jennifer shook her head a little bit.

"Why don't we get going?" Hank suggested. Jennifer shrugged her jacket on and followed Hank from the kitchen. They were almost to the front door when they ran into Jubilee and Kitty, who were towing the remnants of a case of beer with them. "Stop."

"They aren't ours" Kitty said.

"What are you two doing with beer?" Hank asked. Jennifer crossed her arms.

"They're Wolvie's" Jubilee said. "He told us to get them for him cause he an' Remy are grillin'."

"I'll take those to him" Hank said taking the armload of beer from the two girls. Kitty smirked.

"Are you two like going out?" Kitty asked.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes" Hank said. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

As Hank took off for the patio, Kitty said "You know Lance once took me out to this place called The Rose Garden. There were like other mutants there and stuff."

"Who's Lance?" Jennifer asked. Kitty filled her in and Hank delivered the beer, as well as a good scolding to Logan and Remy.

"So what are you two gonna do tonight?" Jubilee asked.

"I don't know actually" Jennifer said. "We'll probably catch a movie or something."

"Or something" Kitty said with a chuckle. Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"I wish I could go on a date" Jubilee said dreamily.

"Sch-yeah. You'd probably take someone like Logan on a date" Kitty said. Jubilee stuck out her lip and hit Kitty in the arm. "Ow!"

"I'm going to get a burger" Jubilee said. She walked out the room and almost bumped into Hank. "Oops, sorry Blue."

"Jubilee" Hank said.

"Whatever" Kitty said. "Have a good time you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Jennifer and Hank watched Kitty leave the room. Hank let the keys for the jeep dangle between his fingers.

"Why do I get the feeling that by tomorrow we're going to make 'Days of Our Lives' look like a news broadcast?" Jennifer asked. Hank ushered her to the door.

"Because you finally realize that this mansion is so full of gossip that guppies become whales in no time" Hank said.


	4. Dates and Emplates

Chapter 4: Dates and Emplates

Speeding through the cool night air in a Jeep was refreshing for both Hank and Jennifer. They had decided that eating anywhere that was mutant-friendly was good, despite what the food critics might say. As they headed for Bayville's town square, they argued over what to do that evening.

"You want to go watch 'King Lear'?" Jennifer asked incredulously. Hank frowned inwardly.

"I thought you liked Shakespeare" Hank said.

"I do like Shakespeare, but I don't think we should go watch a play that's such a downer" Jennifer said. "Is there anything else?"

"I don't get out much, Jennifer" Hank said. He glanced over at her and sighed. He hadn't had a date in over a year. His mind told him that she would be better off just spending the evening back at the mansion. "Look, I can always take you back to the—"

"Keep driving, Hank" Jennifer said. "We're going to have fun tonight. We'll just have to find out where the 'fun' is by walking around or something."

"Well I do know that there is more nightlife around the square then in most other parts of Bayville" Hank said. Jennifer smiled and stuck her hand out of the jeep, enjoying the wind between her fingers.

"Then I guess we'll just have to start there" Jennifer replied.

"This sounds like it might be a long night" Hank said. Jennifer just smiled and kept her eyes open for any place that looked promising.

XXXXX

By the time dinner was over, which meant that the barbecue had been shut off and Kurt's food had been covered and stuffed into the fridge, Logan was about ready to strangle everyone. Ororo had vanished into the attic to deal with her plants. Jean and Scott were acting their age and had been making out on the couch in the den for the past fifteen minutes.

"Dis place is crazy" Remy said reclining on one of the poolside chairs. "I don' know how you do it, Logan."

"I think this place is clean enough" Logan grumbled. The sun had set a while ago and some of the kids were out playing glow-in-the-dark ultimate Frisbee. Inside, the others were off doing whatever. Logan didn't really care, as long as they weren't doing it around him.

"Where you going?" Remy asked.

"Dunno" Logan grumbled. "I'm sick o' bein' 'round everyone though."

"How 'bout a game o' poker?" Remy asked. Logan pulled out a cigar stub and lit it up.

"I'm listening" Logan said with a puff.

"We grab Peter, Slim, and we play" Remy said. Logan puffed on his cigar.

"Cyke's in there playing tonsil hockey with Red" Logan said. "I don't think we're gonna get him outta there."

"Maybe, maybe not" Remy said. "Where we playin'?"

Logan thought for a second and decided on "How about the lounge?"

"You don' t'ink dat de lounge is too…available to de others?" Remy asked. Logan took a final puff on his cigar before crushing the rest of it under his shoe.

"We can lock the doors" Logan said. Remy shrugged and stood up. Logan stopped him by stepping in front of him. "Why are you trying to spend yer day with me, Cajun?"

"It's not cause yo' breath smell like roses" Remy said. Logan didn't budge. "I figure dat if I have no problem wit' you, I have no problem wit' no one."

That seemed to settle right with Logan because he turned and went inside. Remy went upstairs to retrieve Peter. What he found was Peter in his room, reading a National Geographic while Kitty and Amara prattled on with various girl talk.

"Peter?" Remy called. Peter sat up with a 'please save me' look. "Logan wants you downstairs. Sorry girls."

"We'll see you later, Peter" Kitty said. Amara stood up and waved. She followed Kitty out of the room. Remy watched the girls leave and looked back at Peter.

"Poker?" Remy asked. Peter was off the bed. He had changed into boxers and a white t-shirt. He went through a box and pulled out a pair of slippers.

"Thank you" Peter said following Remy.

Downstairs Logan headed for the den, which looked empty. He sniffed and groaned.

"Red! Cyke!" Logan snapped. The two sat up, their heads poking up over the couch. Jean was pulling her shirt down. "Will you two cut that out? What if Jubes or Jamie walked in here?"

"Sorry, Logan" Scott said. He was trying to sit up straight, even with Jean sitting on his lap.

"You want to play poker with us, Scott?" Logan asked.

"That's what you came in here for?" Jean asked. She looked mad.

"Yep" Logan grumbled. Jean stood up and looked at Scott.

"We were busy" Jean said angrily. Scott looked between the two.

"Sorry Logan" Scott said. Logan left the den, glad that he didn't have to deal with Jean, and ran right into his shadow.

"Where are ya going?" Jubilee asked. She wasn't with a mob of girls or hanging out with the boys.

"Lounge" Logan said. Remy and Peter came down the stairs. Jubilee followed them into the lounge. When she took a seat, Logan rolled his neck around until it felt stretched out. "What're ya doin' Jubes?"

"I'll play poker with you guys" Jubilee said. "I know the rules."

"We're probably going to be up all night" Remy said. He pulled a pack of cards from his pocket and started to shuffle. Jubilee, dressed in pajama bottoms with astronaut monkeys and a t-shirt that had some cartoon character on it, pulled a box of gobstoppers from her pants pocket.

"I'm good" Jubilee said.

"Yer gonna make yerself sick with all that damn candy" Logan said. Remy dealt the cards.

"Five card draw, treys wild" Remy said. Logan retrieved a bag of poker chips from a cabinet drawer and sat down.

"How much to whom?" Logan asked.

"I did not bring any money with me" Peter said. Logan shrugged.

"How much are ya good for, Ruskie?" Logan asked.

"Fifty?" Peter said. Logan gave him his chips.

"Fifty as well" Remy said. Logan gave himself fifty, as well as Remy. He looked over at Jubilee.

"Twenty" Jubilee said. Logan gave her twenty in chips.

XXXXX

Dinner was chosen after two places kicked Hank out. The Golden Duck, a high end Chinese and Thai restaurant had no issues with Hank's fur color since the receptionist sported a mop of purple hair.

"This place isn't bad" Jennifer said. Hank looked a little strange, not quite anxious, not quite down. "Are you okay, Hank?"

"Yes. Yes I'm fine" Hank said. "I'm sorry I got us kicked out of those other places."

"Don't worry about it" Jennifer said. The waiter brought them a plate of egg rolls. They had each ordered, Hank wanting broccoli and Schezwaun chicken, and Jennifer wanting the General Tso's shrimp. Jennifer took an egg roll and took a bite of it. "Wow, this is really good." She looked up at Hank. "Hank? Hank."

The blue man looked as if he were going through the stages of depression quite fast. Jennifer plopped an egg roll onto his plate.

"Try the egg roll" Jennifer said. He poked at it and finally looked up at her.

"Is this some sort of pity date?" Hank asked. "Kurt is always saying—"

"Pity date?" Jennifer repeated. She put her egg roll down and grabbed Hank's big hand. "Hank, I haven't been on a date in months. Even then, it was a bad date. I wanted to go out somewhere, you sounded as if you needed a date, and here we are. I don't just go out with anyone."

"Somehow that's very reassuring" Hank said. He let her hand go and picked up the egg roll. "They're pretty good huh?"

"Delicious" Jennifer replied. Hank tested it and nodded his approval. "You know I saw a flyer when we were walking around for some festival that's finishing up tonight at MacArthur Park. It said something about music and booths and stuff. Want to check it out later?"

"MacArthur Park is just a few blocks from here" Hank said. "Sounds like it could be promising."

"I always find some sort of fun when I go out, Hank" Jennifer said with a smile. "You won't have to worry about a thing."

XXXXX

Two hours later, Hank and Jennifer were in MacArthur Park. There were lights everywhere. There were jugglers, people selling various items under high power lights, a torrent of clowns and mimes, and a wide variety of cart-shows, which basically consisted of a small stage atop a trailer.

"This is most bizarre" Hank said.

"I didn't realize that it was a Sideshow Festival for amateurs" Jennifer said. "I didn't even know there were such things."

"Cotton candy?" Hank asked pointing to a cotton candy booth.

"Sure" Jennifer said. At least no one cared if Hank was blue at a Sideshow Festival. There was a tent set up near the cotton candy that displayed a half naked lady with a large feather. Hank retrieved a bag of pink cotton candy. "Look, a burlesque show. Want to go?"

"I…uh…well, I don't know" Hank mumbled. Jennifer pinched off a piece of pink fluff and put it into her mouth. She slid an arm around Hank's large one and guided him towards the tent. "Are you sure that this is appropriate?"

"I hate to burst your bubble Hank, but I'm not as young as I look" Jennifer replied. "If you really have a problem with it, I won't make you go."

"I just…I don't want you to think poorly of me" Hank said. "A burlesque show is not…."

"Shakespeare?" Jennifer filled in. She smiled and nudged Hank with her shoulder. "I remember seeing my first burlesque show in Vegas. It was my first vacation and Lili St. Cyr was performing."

"Lili St. Cyr?" Hank said. "But she performed in the '50s."

"Yeah. It was…1958 I think. Maybe 1957" Jennifer said. Hank smirked.

"Alright, I get it" Hank said. "We'll go see the show, though I don't know if I'd expect anything remotely close to the stories of St. Cyr."

"For being a guy who sticks out in a crowd, you sure are bashful" Jennifer said. She pulled him over to the tent and they paid the fee for the show, which was to start in fifteen minutes.

XXXXXX

In the shattered remains of what was once Bayville, a group of mutants were slowly becoming overrun by a group of sentinels. The mutants all wore the standard 'X' that had become their symbol of future hope.

"Fall back! There's too many of them!" A tall black girl with blonde hair yelled to the others. She raised her plasma rifle and heroically tried to stop the sentinels.

"Where are we falling back to?!" A red haired man asked. He moved from his pile of rubble to a pile of dilapidated cars that were piled high. He was joined by a dark haired man who simply snarled.

"Move!" The blonde said running past the other two.

"X.S.E." The sentinels bellowed. "Stop. You are under arrest for the use of your mutant powers against—"

"What the hell does the government think they're doing?!" The dark haired man asked. The three ducked into an old building. "Shard! I thought we were going after Fitzroy!"

"We are" Shard, the blonde, said. She checked her gun and leaned against a brick wall. "Bishop said that Fitzroy was around here."

"This place is infested with sentinels" Malcolm, the red haired man, said. The building shook. Shard pulled out a small hand held device and pushed a few buttons until a map came up.

"We have to go to the sub-city" Shard said. She stuffed the device away and looked around. "Look for a way down."

"I thought Bishop was going to meet us here" Randall, the dark-haired man said. He was near an outer wall and was keeping an eye on the sentinels, who were in the midst of looking for the three.

"He's late" Shard said. "He'll find us." She was searching for a sewer entrance. "He can always find us."

"Here!" Malcolm said from the other side of the building. He pulled a large grate from an area that used to be part of the street. The others ran over. "It goes down."

"Perfect. All of these things were connected" Shard said climbing down.

"I hate the sewers" Randall said before following Shard. Malcolm followed the others, taking a breath of fresh air before going below.

XXXXXXX

The lounge had started to smell of burnt tobacco, sugar, and beer. As the time moved on, becoming increasingly closer to midnight, the poker players became more cutthroat in their methods.

"Someone freakin' call, already" Jubilee said. She was holding three jacks, an ace, and a four. Peter sipped at his soda and raised the pot by five bucks.

"Oh, someone must have a good hand" Remy said putting in five white chips. Jubilee put in a red piece that was equal to five dollars and looked at Logan.

"I'm calling" Logan said. They all showed their hands. Logan had a full house with queens high. Remy had three tens and Peter had tried to bluff his way through with a king as his high card. Logan grinned and collected the pot.

"This is the fifth game that you've won in a row, Wolvie" Jubilee said. "Are you sure you ain't checkin' our cards?"

"Yeah kid. I just got a new x-ray vision power and I'm usin' it on poker" Logan said putting his chips into piles. There was a knock on the lounge door before it opened up. "I thought you locked it Jubes."

"Sorry" Jubilee said. Rogue stood in the doorway in her pajamas.

"Hey, chere" Remy said. "You come t' play?"

"No" Rogue said looking upset. "I can smell you guys in the den. I didn't know what y'all were doin' in here, but I was half sure I'd catch you playing with matches."

"We'll turn the fan on and open a window" Logan said. Rogue walked over to the table and put a hand on her hip.

"What's Jubilee doin' in here?" Rogue asked. "You know y'all are killin' her with second hand smoke?"

"Oh shut up, Rogue" Jubilee said. "We're just playing cards."

"Why don' you take a seat, Rogue?" Remy suggested.

"Are you deaf? I said that I'm not interested in playin' cards" Rogue replied. Logan put his cigar on the ashtray and took a sip of his beer.

"What time is it?" Logan asked.

"It's like eleven o'clock" Rogue said. Logan looked over at Jubilee, who had spent the last half hour yawning.

"We're almost done" Logan said. Rogue jutted out her lip and stormed from the room, closing the door after her. "Jubes, could you hit the fan?" Without a moment of hesitation the young girl was up and hit the switch. "Thanks, pumpkin."

"I'll get the window" Peter said leaning back to pry the window open with one hand.

XXXXXXX

By eleven thirty pm, Hank and Jennifer were ready for some scenery. The burlesque show consisted of a few different girls doing a variety of erotic dances, a stand up comedian, a comedic duo that were dressed as clowns, a juggling act, and a singer who went by the name of Dana Whiskey.

"That was great" Jennifer said as they walked away from the tent. "And to think, we could have just stayed at the institute."

"It was…unique" Hank said. Jennifer wound her fingers through his and started to pull him to an ice cream stand that was underneath a large tree.

"C'mon, Hank" Jennifer said. "I think ice cream is on the list of activities tonight." She looked at the minimal flavors that the man behind the booth had. "Can I have a vanilla cone please?"

"Sure and for you?" The man asked. He didn't even seem fazed by Hank's appearance.

"Chocolate, please" Hank said. The man handed them both their ice creams after demanding payment of three dollars. Hank walked with Jennifer over to a secluded bench where they worked on their ice cream.

"I think you're having a good time, Hank" Jennifer said crossing her legs. Hank smiled.

"I think I actually am" Hank replied. He let his eyes wander up Jennifer's legs and across the skin that was exposed to the cool night air.

"Want to do anything else tonight?" Jennifer asked. Hank took a mouthful of ice cream to keep him self from saying something stupid. He shrugged. A group of teenagers passed by and gave the two strange looks. Jennifer opened her mouth to say something else when her hands started to glow red. Her ice cream exploded and the red glow traveled up to her elbow.

"Jen!" Hank said tossing his ice cream aside. Jennifer stood up, obviously surprised. People started looking over in their direction. "You're attracting attention."

"Hank, I can't make it stop" Jennifer said. The red glow had moved up to her shoulder. Jennifer made a fist, waved her arm, and tried to make the red glow stop.

"C'mon" Hank said ushering her towards the park exit. "We're liable to get blamed for something if we stick around here."

They rushed to the jeep, trying not to draw in a crowd. A few people had gasped, but none seemed very interested with the festival going on. When they got to the jeep Jennifer reached for her door handle, but her hand cut right through the car door. She withdrew her hand and stepped back.

"Oh my" Hank said looking at the hole from the driver's seat. Jennifer went to crawl in over the door when her arm suddenly stopped glowing. "Were you able to slice through doors before?"

"Yeah" Jennifer said crawling in beside Hank ungracefully. "But my power always came from my hands, not my whole arm. I don't know what's happening."

"I think we should talk to Charles immediately" Hank said. He glanced at the car clock. "Or perhaps first thing in the morning."

XXXXXXX

Shard and her two compatriots had made their way through the grime of the top sewers, through the maze that was the underground tunnels and old sewers, and to the sub-city which was an old mutant city built to hide those that were called Morlocks. Randall swept a spider web away and pulled out his plasma rifle when he saw the sub-city.

"Bishop said that we'd find Fitzroy here" Shard said.

"Don't you think he knows that we're here?" Malcolm asked. Shard charged up her gun and looked around at the deserted city.

"I'm counting on it" Shard said. She walked towards the dark city and pulled a flashlight from her utility belt. "Perhaps it'll make this easier."

The others pulled their lights out and attached them to their rifles. As they made their way through the empty city, fear lingered in the air. They could hear rats scurrying about.

"I'm picking something up" Malcolm said.

"Human or mutant?" Randall asked.

"Not sure yet. They're too far away, but they're ahead" Malcolm said. He looked around and pointed to a strange two story building. "There. In that building."

"Quietly" Shard said leading them to the door. They knelt down near the door. Absorbing the light from the flashlights, Shard blasted the lock with a concussive force. Randall kicked the door in and they piled in with all the training that every enforcer received.

"Upstairs" Malcolm said. "I'm picking up a handful of mutants and Fitzroy."

"Let's nail this douche bag" Shard said. They worked their way up the stairs and found themselves in a well-lit room. The windows were covered over with plastic and Fitzroy had a few mutants chained to a post in the room. "Fitzroy!"

"Ah! The X.S.E. are here" Fitzroy said. "I was hoping you'd arrive."

"You're under arrest for disrupting the future with your temporal altering abilities" Shard said. She aimed her gun at him. "Also, for being such an asshole."

"I take it you didn't appreciate me not calling after our last date" Fitzroy said with a smile. He snapped his fingers.

"Something's wrong!" Malcolm said. "I didn't sense them before."

"EMPLATES!" Shard yelled. A dozen mutants jumped from the high ceiling rafters. Every one of them had white eyes and they all had strange energy draining 'mouths' on their palms, the main features of the Emplates. Without need for warning, the X.S.E. officers started to open fire on the vampire-like Emplates.

Fitzroy watched for a moment before going over to his captives. He brushed his green hair out of his eyes and started to drain their energy, one by one.

"Fitzroy, STOP THIS!" Shard yelled as an Emplate knocked her gun from her hands. She blasted the Emplate away, but another one replaced it.

"We're being over run!" Malcolm said before a hand was placed to his head. His eyes rolled up and he slumped to the floor. Two more hands were on him and he finally lay limp.

"Malcolm!" Randall yelled. "This had to of been a set-up!"

"Bishop will be here!" Shard screamed. A hand grabbed her neck and she fell to her knees, her eyes rolling upwards. Randall leapt at the Emplate that held Shard, but he was too late. She fell forward and she hit the floor nose first, spraying blood.

"SHARD!" Randall yelled. He fired his plasma rifle, taking out three Emplates before a hand was placed on his leg. As the third enforcer fell, Fitzroy laughed and drained the last of his mutant captives. There was noise from the first level of the building.

"What the--?" Fitzroy said moving to see who charged up the stairs. A large man, who looked like Shard, but with black hair, stood at the top of the stairs. "Bishop."

"You're under arrest Fitzroy" Bishop growled. Six other X.S.E officers charged up the stairs and stood behind him. As soon as the Emplates come close enough, the X.S.E. officers started firing. "Take them out, I'm after Fitzroy."

"Bishop" A dark haired woman said. "Shard, Malcolm, and Randall are all dead!"

"Don't let them get up" Bishop said. He looked over at Shard. "Take Shard back to Witness. Maybe he can do something with her."

"But, sir" The woman said.

"DO IT!" Bishop yelled. He charged forward, punching two Emplates in the face and pushing his way towards Fitzroy.

"Perhaps I'll see you later" Fitzroy said. He focused his energy and a glowing portal opened. Fitzroy jumped forward and was gone in a flash.

"Not another time portal" Bishop groaned. He charged forward, fury making him blind to what he was doing, and he jumped into the glowing portal.

XXXXXXXXX

Hank and Jennifer walked into the institute. The lingering smell of cigars seeped into the foyer.

"Where's that coming from?" Jennifer asked. Hank sniffed the air.

"I believe it's coming from the lounge" Hank replied. They headed towards the lounge and stopped when they heard the television from the den. They moved closer to the den and saw Rogue, Kitty, and Kurt watching a horror movie. "We're home."

"What's the smell?" Jennifer asked.

Rogue let out a breath and said "Logan and Remy are smokin' in the lounge. Jubilee is in there with them. Probably dyin'."

"We'll take care of it" Hank said. Jennifer and Hank went over to the lounge doors and tried to open them, but the lock held tight.

"Who is it?" Remy called.

"Remy, open this door right now" Hank ordered. The door was unlocked and it swung open with Remy standing behind it. Hank stepped into the room with Jennifer behind him. Logan was holding Jubilee to his side as she slept half on her chair and half against him. Remy moved back to his seat and picked up his cards. Peter looked about ready to fall asleep.

"This place is rank" Jennifer said waving her hand in front of her nose. She moved to one of the several windows and opened it.

"What do you guys think you're doing?" Hank asked.

"We're playin' some cards" Logan replied. "Wanna join in?"

"You're smelling up the whole institute" Hank said. "And, what's Jubilee doing in here?" He crossed his arms. "I'm surprised she hasn't gagged on the smoke."

"I'm watchin' out fer her" Logan growled. He put his cigar out and picked up the girl.

"Peter, Remy, I think you should get upstairs, shower, and go to bed" Jennifer said. Peter stood up, but Remy looked over to Logan. He gestured with his head for him to go upstairs. As soon as the two boys left, Jennifer and Hank were standing in front of the short burly man. "What the hell do you think you're doing Logan?"

Hank's near six-foot stature towered over Logan, but didn't seem to intimidate him. "I think you need to put the young lady to bed."

"You two know that yer wreckin' my night, right?" Logan said. Before they could answer Logan left with Jubilee, still sleeping, in his arms.

"I guess tonight was not just eventful for us" Hank said. Jennifer flipped the fan on. "Hopefully Charles won't be too upset."

"I think he's going to be way upset" Jennifer said. Hank ushered her out of the lounge, turned off the light, and left the fan to do its thing.

"C'mon, Jennifer, I'll walk you to your room" Hank said. Jennifer allowed him to place a hand at the small of her back and walk her upstairs. "I think that we should wait until morning to talk to Charles about your powers acting up."

"I think you're right" Jennifer said. They made their way to their rooms and stood in the hallway. Jennifer smiled. "Thanks for the date."

"Perhaps I should be thanking you" Hank said. "I feel as though I was a stick in the mud most of the time."

"You were fine" Jennifer said. She leaned in and kissed Hank on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Well…I…I might be a stick in the mud at times" Hank said. "But I know how to end a night." With that he leaned forward and gave Jennifer a kiss that screamed of pent up emotion. It was brief, but pointed. "Now, I will see you tomorrow."

"Okay" Jennifer said breathlessly. She smirked, fumbled with her bedroom doorknob, and stumbled into her room.

"I am the man" Hank said with a smile as he went into his own room.

* * *

NOTE: If you're really interested in reading up on Emplates, you might want to read UNCANNY X-MEN Annual '96, X.S.E. #1-4. If you're interested in Bishop, well he joined the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men...um...#280 or somewhere there abouts. I'm not digging through my comics at this time. If you search for Emplates, you might come across Emplate (singular), which is a villian related to Monet St. Croix (of Generation X). Emplate has this vampire-like mutant power which in turn created the Emplates (long story short). Fitzroy showed up in Uncanny X-men around the same time as Bishop.

Any suggestions so far? I haven't labeled this as a romance between any characters simply because I'm not sure what I'm going to include yet. Hell, I'm half tempted to throw Cable into the mix, but that could be a huge headache. I will be including my favorite Irishman in the mix...soon.

I'm totally open for suggestions! I love comments, it makes me write faster! So...read and review!


	5. Damnata quo Viri or Damn The Man

Chapter 5: Damnata quo Viri (or Damn The Man)

Monday morning at the Xavier Institute during summer break was not something that most looked forward to. Ororo was usually up by 5:30 for a morning meditation session before most of the others awoke. Usually Ray and Bobby were up by six to go for a morning run, claiming that it made the whole day go by faster. This morning, Ororo found Remy awake.

"Remy, you're awake?" Ororo asked. The Cajun smiled.

"I'm always awake at dis hour" Remy replied. "Kind of goes wit' bein' 'round untrustworthy people fo' a long time. Why are you up?"

"I like to meditate in the mornings" Ororo said. She zipped up the grey hoodie that she was wearing. Clad in yoga pants, a tank top, and her sandals Ororo looked like a new age yuppie. "Would you care to join me?"

"I don' know" Remy said. "I've never meditated b'fore."

"Well, you can wear what you have on" Ororo said with a friendly smile. Remy looked down at his sweatpants and his t-shirt. He didn't look very 'new age' like Ororo did.

"I do have trouble sayin' no to a woman, Stormy" Remy said. Ororo rolled her eyes at the nickname and led him to the garden that was beside the pool. Charles had allowed her to create a 'peaceful zone' that included a small zen fountain, meditation seating, and a wide variety of plants.

"Just relax" Ororo said. She had grabbed two strange pillow-looking seats and had Remy sit on one in her garden. She assumed a very comfortable position. "You must find a comfortable position and have your self relax. I find that closing my eyes helps a great deal."

Remy followed along and found that with his eyes closed and his body relaxed, the sounds of nature seemed more intense. The noises seemed louder and noisier then he had ever really noticed before.

"Take a deep breath" Ororo said. "As you let it out, focus your thoughts. Perhaps there is some question that you have been struggling with. This is the time to focus on that question or problem."

The sounds of nature started to take a back seat as Remy breathed deeper and focused his thoughts. His thoughts seemed jumbled, but he tried to focus on one thought that seemed to plague him: was he inherently a bad person? His mind spurted forth images and sounds from the days before.

"My head feels all jumbled" Remy said lightly, almost in a whisper, after a few minutes of trying to get his mind to straighten up.

"That is most common the first few times" Ororo said. "Allow your mind to wander, perhaps you'll find the answer through other means."

Remy's mind wandered indeed. The mix of images in his mind seemed random at first, playing back various daily scenes of randomness. After a while though, they seemed to follow a path until he was focused on New Orleans and Rogue.

New Orleans.

Four months ago, or was it five?

He remembered their conversations and how the bayou had smelled. He had used Rogue to help him, but he had also opened up a little to the southern girl.

A hand on Remy's shoulder made him open his eyes and for a moment he thought that he was doing things wrong. Ororo was smiling at him.

"What?" Remy asked. Ororo stood up with her zafu, the pillow seat.

"It's been a half hour" Ororo replied. She watched as Bobby and Ray started their run and looked back down at Remy. "Bobby lets me know when it's six o'clock. I believe you completely blocked his voice since you did not stir when he told me of the time."

"You do dis every mornin'?" Remy asked. He picked himself and the zafu up.

"Every morning" Ororo replied. "It allows me to gather my thoughts for the day."

"Perhaps, if you don' mind none, I can join you" Remy said.

"Of course" Ororo said with a smile. She looked at the glass door that led into the kitchen. The door was slid open and the screen was pulled shut. The slightest hint of brewed Arabica coffee could be smelled. "It smells as though Michael has the coffee ready."

"Sounds good" Remy said following her to the kitchen.

XXXXXX

Grey eyes opened wide. Something was wrong, but Jennifer couldn't place what it was. She sat up in her bed and looked at her clock. It was close to seven. She could hear people moving about in the hallway. She swung her legs out of the bed and stood up. Nothing seemed out of place or any different then it had been the night before.

Her boots were where she left them. Her dress was still discarded over the chair near her closet. Her personal belongings were where she had last left them. Glancing at the window, she noted that it was still locked. Her balcony doors were also closed.

Jennifer's arms felt warm. She looked down and watched as they both started to glow red.

"For cryin' out loud" Jennifer scolded herself. She tried to somehow turn her powers off, but the glow traveled up her arms, to her shoulders. She looked around as anxiety started work its way through her body and mind. The itching that initially started gave way to a strange pain that felt as if someone were dragging a nail file across all of her skin, all at once. "Hank." Jennifer moved to the wall that separated her room from Hank's. She gave it a few good kicks. "Hank!" Jennifer watched in near horror as the red glow started to move to her torso. "Hank! It's happening again!"

Jennifer let out a shriek as her door was kicked open and a metallic 'snikt' could be heard.

"What's goin' on--? HOLY CRAP!" Logan said. Behind him, Hank rushed into Jennifer's room. Hank averted his eyes for a second, his manners getting the best of him, when he realized that Jennifer was clad in a black tank top and matching underwear. He glanced up; watching as the red glow of the energy slowly crept towards Jennifer's throat.

"Oh my" Hank said. Jennifer's upper half was nearly wholly consumed by red energy, leaving a dark shadowy figure of a body to be seen beneath the glow. Jennifer clenched her teeth as the pain increased slightly. Hank closed the door as others started to crowd the door with concerned questions. "Calm her, Logan."

"What the fuck is happening?!" Jennifer yelled. Logan approached her, his claws retracted.

"Look kid, we'll just go to the professor" Logan said. He almost touched her hands, but she stepped away as if he had the plague.

"Don't touch me!" Jennifer shrieked. She bumped into her dresser, knocking a small picture from the top. Instinctively, she reached for it, but it was nearly disintegrated as it came into contact with Jennifer's new red energy aura. "Charlie!"

"Jennifer, you must calm yourself" Hank said. He got as close as he would dare. "Deep breaths."

Jennifer looked at him and nodded, her panic pushed aside by understanding. She took deep breaths and let her eyes go back to where the small picture would have landed. Logan let Hank deal with Jennifer.

"I'll get Chuck" Logan said. Logan left and was bombarded by a questioning mob of teens.

"Good" Hank said breathing with Jennifer. The glow started to fade and slowly Jennifer's skin tone and features all came back. As soon as the glow faded she threw her arms around Hank's neck.

"What's wrong with me Hank?" Jennifer asked. Hank held her until he was sure that she had fully calmed down. He felt her body fall slightly limp as she finally calmed herself.

"Get dressed and I'll escort you to the lab" Hank said simply. "Perhaps a simple medical exam will provide answers." There was a knock at the door. "Come in."

"Jennifer?" Charles called before entering. He rolled in using a standard wheelchair instead of his usual automated one and he was half dressed in pajamas, half in his usual attire. "Are you alright?" Logan followed him in and closed the door. "Logan said something about your powers becoming unstable."

"I don't know if I'd use the term unstable" Jennifer said wearily. She moved from Hank and sat on her bed. She looked at her hands. "Before my energy blasts, or whatever the hell shoots out of me, only emitted from my hands and fingers."

"You mean its changing emission areas?" Charles asked.

"I'd say that it's consuming me, slowly" Jennifer replied. "Last night it happened, but only to my right arm. I'll pay for the damage done to the Jeep."

"You wrecked my jeep?!" Logan said.

"I reached for the door handle and my hand went right through it. I can't turn it off!" Jennifer protested. Charles thought the events over.

"Hank, I want you to take Jennifer to the lab after breakfast and run some diagnostics" Charles said. "Logan, perhaps you and Ororo can keep the others busy while we use the lab."

"Not a problem" Logan said. "As long as I can check out the jeep first."

"Would Sabretooth know anything about what is happening to you?" Charles asked.

"I don't see how he could know anything about me" Jennifer replied. "I saw him for the first time in fifteen years just the other day. I don't even know how he found me!"

"Curious" Charles said.

"Curious?" Jennifer repeated. She put her hands on her hips and looked angry. "If I had done a handstand we'd be meeting up on the bottommost level of this place."

"Is there any pain when your powers spread?" Charles asked.

"It's not really painful, I mean, perhaps a bit. I think my perception of pain is altered from yours though" Jennifer said. "It starts as an itching, but it gets worse. I had a tattoo once; it lasted for a night before my healing ability rejected the ink. I'd say that it would be a close pain indicator."

"Let me think this over for a while" Charles said. "I'll see you all at breakfast."

"We'll be there" Hank said. Charles left with Logan grumbling about the jeep as they left. Hank stood next to Jennifer and was clad in his pajama bottoms. "I think it helps if you remain calm. Have you ever tried any sort of meditation techniques?"

"No" Jennifer said. "I mean, I guess there's a little meditation during karate, but that's about it."

"As a biochemist, I strongly suggest that you stay calm" Hank said. He turned to leave and was near the door before Jennifer spoke.

"Hank?" Jennifer called out. "Have you heard of this sort of thing happening before? Mutant powers changing long after they're supposed to?"

Hank smiled and opened his arms wide. "I wasn't always blue and furry. Actually, it happened not long ago." Hank left, shutting the door behind him. Jennifer changed into a pair of jeans, her flip flops, and a black t-shirt.

XXXXXXX

When Jennifer and Hank sat down at the breakfast table they were met with curious eyes. The chatter continued and it was obvious that Charles, who sat at the head of the table, had told them to act normally.

"Would you like a muffin?" Kurt asked Jennifer. He was holding a tray of blueberry muffins.

"I like totally made them last night" Kitty said. Jennifer started to reach for a muffin when a blue tail hit her hand, stopping her. Kitty shot a glance over to Kurt.

"Oops. Sorry" Kurt said. "This wacky tail has a mind of its own." He put the muffin tray down and out of most people's reach. "You know how it is."

"Kurt!" Kitty said. "You don't even know what this batch tastes like!"

"I don't think I want to be your tester" Kurt replied.

"Should I be thankful?" Jennifer asked Kurt.

"Unless you enjoy the taste of blueberry cardboard" Kurt said. Kitty pouted further and turned to talk to Jean and Rogue.

"Just muffins this morning?" Hank asked. The table was nearly empty except for two pitchers of juice and two thermal carafes of coffee and, of course, Kitty's muffins.

"Michael said that he had something special on the way" Ororo said. She was looking over the local section of the morning newspaper. Remy, who sat between her and Peter, looked as though he were waiting for something exciting to happen.

"So you okay, cher?" Remy asked. The tension in the room had been high enough that you could feel it from the doorway. As soon as the words left Remy's mouth, the room grew quiet.

"Remy" Charles scolded. Remy glanced at him, but ignored him. Jennifer looked around and tried to smile, but failed.

"I'm fine" Jennifer replied. "I…there are a few issues that I am dealing with."

"She just needs to remain as calm as possible" Hank said with a smile. The sound of a stomach growling broke any tension that remained in the room and received a laugh from a few students.

"Sorry" Jamie said from the far end. "What's keeping Michael? I'm starving!"

"Who's Michael?" Jennifer asked Hank softly.

"He is the chef that Charles hired" Hank replied. "He doesn't work on Sundays."

As if on cue, the kitchen door swung open and Michael came out pushing a rolling cart that had several covered trays and plates on it. He started at the end with the younger kids and worked his way up to Charles. He passed out plates and set out the large trays that held steaming food.

Michael looked familiar to Jennifer, but she couldn't place from where. She watched as he interacted with the others with a smile on his face. He lifted the first tray cover, revealing a tray of cinnamon rolls. Following his actions, the other tray lids were lifted to reveal a tray of scrambled eggs, a small tray of toast, a tray of hash browns, and a tray that held a bowl of fruit salad.

"This looks great" Scott said picking at the cinnamon rolls enthusiastically.

"Save one with lots o' frosting for me, Scott!" Jubilee called from down the table. Jennifer retrieved some scrambled eggs and a slice of toast. Michael went around, retrieving an empty juice pitcher and replacing it with a pitcher of water. He had a large pepper grinder and was peppering eggs for those who wanted it.

"Would you care for some pepper?" Michael asked Jennifer when he came around. He looked familiar, but then again he had a very generic face with generic features.

"You wouldn't happen to have some Tabasco sauce would you?" Jennifer asked. Michael dug into his apron and produced a bottle. Jennifer sprinkled the red liquid onto her eggs and handed the bottle back to him.

"I hope you enjoy your food, Miss Creed" Michael said. The tone he used to say her name made the hair on Jennifer's neck stand up. He gave her a smile and moved to Hank, then Logan, and around the table. He sounded as if he had a secret to hide that involved her, but he looked as if he had simply said 'good morning'.

"Jen?" Hank asked. Jennifer blinked and looked over at Hank. "Are you okay? You looked as if you zoned out."

"Yeah, I'm fine" Jennifer said. "I was just thinking about something." She dug into her eggs and tried to make Hank and the others see that she was fine. "Hank, would you mind passing the coffee?"

"Here" Hank said simply filling one of the empty mugs from the center of the table.

"Thank you" Jennifer said taking the mug from him. The Tabasco tasted strange, almost as if it were fresher or spicier. Jennifer couldn't really tell which it was, but it wasn't a bad taste.

"So, how do you like ze institute, Jennifer?" Kurt asked after nearly eating his cinnamon roll in one bite.

"I'm enjoying myself" Jennifer said over her coffee. "I'm looking forward to more time in the danger room."

"Yeah, zat is ze coolest room in ze institute" Kurt said. Logan shifted his newspaper, ignoring his hash browns. Kurt looked over to Logan and looked as if he were almost in trouble. "Perhaps Logan can run a session with you. He's always in zere. Me? I'm always busy."

"I don't think—" Hank said pushing his glasses up onto his nose.

"Perhaps" Logan gruffed. He folded his section of newspaper and called for the fruit salad to be passed down. "We'll see how you're dealing with your 'issues'."

"I'd like t'spend some mo' time in de danger room" Remy said helping himself to the fruit salad after Logan.

"You think we're dumb enough to let you loose in the danger room without a crowd?" Rogue called out. Remy leaned back in his chair to get a good look at her.

"Dey dumb enough t'let you in, cherie" Remy chided. "No harm in lettin' dis Cajun boy in dere."

"Yer a jerk" Rogue called back to him. He just smiled and picked up his toast.

"We'll see who is de jerk by de end o' de day" Remy said.

"Knock it off" Scott said. Charles and Ororo ignored the bickering as best they could by going through the paper that Logan had discarded.

"Bobby!" Amara cried out. She had the water pitcher in her hand and the contents had become one large ice cube. "I was going to drink that!"

"Bobby, not at the table" Charles said over the world news section. He snapped the paper and went back to his food. Bobby stuck his tongue out at Amara and shared a laugh with Ray.

XXXXXXXX

The cold stethoscope was pressed against Jennifer's back. Hank wanted to give her a full check up, despite her insisting that it wasn't necessary.

"Breathe in" Hank instructed. Jennifer did so. "Once more." Jennifer repeated the action and curiously looked around the medical room. She had been in a hospital a few times, but never for herself. "Your lungs sound fine."

"With my healing ability I never would have guessed" Jennifer said sarcastically. Hank ignored her, moved around the medical table she was on, and picked up an otoscope. He checked her eyes and her ears, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He pulled out a strangely thick needle.

"I'm going to draw some blood" Hank said. Jennifer allowed him to take his 200 ml of blood without a complaint. Hank immediately placed the fresh blood into a small glass container and stuck it into a small fridge. He grabbed a clipboard and made some notes.

"Something wrong?" Jennifer asked.

"Actually, so far you seem to be in perfect health" Hank said. He looked at his clipboard. "Have you ever had medical problems before?"

"Nope" Jennifer said. Hank pulled up a tall stool and sat down.

"Have you ever been pregnant or had any gynecological problems?" Hank asked.

"No and I can't get pregnant" Jennifer replied. "My healing abilities react to sperm since it's a foreign agent and it, essentially, fixes the problem."

"Alright" Hank said. He read down his paper, checking 'no' to the large list of allergies and medical problems. "Have you ever—?"

"Hank" Jennifer said. "I've never had to go to the doctor before. Okay?" She frowned a little and kicked her flip flops off. "I tend to fix any problems I have."

"I suppose you're right" Hank said. He held out a hand, which she took and jumped down from the table. Hank led her into a small room that was located next to the round medical bay. He took a hospital gown from a small cubby and handed it to her. "Put this on. You get to spend the next ten minutes under the contraption I lovingly call Doctor Caius."

"You really are a Shakespeare nut" Jennifer said holding up the hospital gown. Hank smiled and gestured to a dressing screen. Jennifer went behind it and quickly changed. "Don't you read anything else?"

"I'm quite literate, I can assure you" Hank said with a smile. Jennifer stuck her head out from the screen.

"Perhaps you need to read a Stephen King novel or something more current" Jennifer suggested.

"Are you changed?" Hank asked. Jennifer came out, holding the back of the gown with one hand. "I need you to sit here and relax as much as you can." Jennifer shot a look at Hank. "It's not going to hurt. At least, it shouldn't."

"What does this thing do?" Jennifer asked while moving to sit in the strange reclining chair. Hank moved two large arms over Jennifer and started to hook up a strange looking helmet.

"This does many things all at once" Hank replied. He moved the helmet, which was suspended by a metal arm, over Jennifer's head. "This will tell me if you are producing any sort of radiation, if there are electromagnetic frequencies of abnormal levels, it'll tell me your temperature, the air pressure that is around you; it has a light meter, a sound meter, a metal detector, a spectrometer, its own mini-weather station, and it can do a variety of other things as well."

"Did you build it?" Jennifer asked looking at the strange looking equipment.

"With some help" Hank said. He gave Jennifer a smile and let himself step aside from being a doctor for a second. "We'll find out what's going on." His reassurance made her smile genuinely. He allowed himself to squeeze her hand. "Perhaps you'll allow me to take you to lunch today?"

"Perhaps" Jennifer said coyly. Hank brushed his thumb across her fingers and stepped back until he was beyond the yellow outline that surrounded Doctor Caius.

"Let's get started" Hank said. He went over to a control panel and turned the machine on. "You'll have to stay there for ten minutes. Try not to use any powers."

"No problem" Jennifer replied. The machine hummed and various doo-dads moved around, spinning and blinking. "What happens if my results are normal?"

"Then I suppose we start calling this a problem" Hank said. He pulled a chair up to the edge of the yellow outline and observed his machine. "Do you like Indian food?"

"Most of it" Jennifer said. "Are we going to have Indian food for lunch?"

"I'm not entirely sure" Hank said with a smile. "I just figured that I'd check my options though."

"Have you ever had a strange feeling about someone? As if you once knew them or have seen them before and you immediately distrust them?" Jennifer asked. Hank wheeled around on his stool so he was closer to her head, but still beyond the yellow outline.

"Who are we talking about?" Hank asked.

"The cook. Michael" Jennifer replied.

"He's from Colorado" Hank said. "Have you ever been there?"

"Colorado? No" Jennifer said. "I could swear that I've seen him somewhere before, but I'm drawing a blank. Perhaps it's his face. He has a very…generic look."

"I'm sure that's it" Hank said. The console beeped and Hank got up to check the read-outs.

"What's that?" Jennifer asked. Hank looked as if he were in deep, scientific thought. The machine beeped again. "Hank?"

"I need you to become emotional" Hank said. He looked at Jennifer, studying her. After the machine beeped for a third time, Hank said "Tell me about your uncle."

"Victor" Jennifer said through clenched teeth. "I don't want to think about that asshole."

The machine beeped at a more frequent pace and spewed more read-outs. Hank gathered them up until they stopped coming out. Jennifer had looked off to the distance; her expression revealed that she was thinking about her uncle.

"Why do you hate him?" Hank asked. Jennifer turned her head and her jaw tightened, the muscles straining.

"Hank" Jennifer warned.

"This is producing results" Hank said simply. "Tell me why you hate him."

"He killed some people" Jennifer said. "I couldn't do anything. He had two cronies with him and they had me restrained."

"What people? I mean, who were they?" Hank asked as he went over the print outs. Jennifer took a deep breath.

"My family and my dog" Jennifer said with a certain finality. Hank looked up and frowned.

"Oh my" Hank uttered. "Jennifer, I'm sorry." He looked at his papers and put them down. He rubbed his forehead. "I thought you'd say something else. I didn't mean…I'm sorry."

"It happened a long time ago" Jennifer replied dismissing it. "Do you have your information? Can we stop this thing?"

"Yeah, hang on" Hank said pressing buttons. The machine slowed it actions and finally came to a halt. Hank went over to Jennifer and let her out of the confiscating machine. He helped her out of the chair. Jennifer moved past him, over to the changing curtain, where she put her clothes back on.

"So what's wrong with me?" Jennifer asked in a testier mood. Hank went back to his papers and flipped through them. They gave him a general assessment, but it wasn't as if he was reading a comic book collector's card.

"From what I can tell…when you became upset your aura became altered" Hank said. "I'd have to go over these results in more detail to understand more. Essentially I believe that your aura is taking on your energy powers, but that's just a theory."

"That sounds destructive" Jennifer said grimly.

"It seems as if you are going through a second mutation, which happens to a handful of mutants" Hank replied. "Which includes me." The outer medical lab door opened. "That should be the professor."

Jennifer and Hank moved out to the main medical bay where the professor was waiting. Concern was plastered on his face.

"Hank" Charles said. Hank handed the papers over to him.

"I believe it's a second mutation, but the cause of it seems unknown" Hank replied. Jennifer turned to Hank. "I didn't mention that before. When one goes through a second mutation, there is always a reason for it to occur. It could be anything from some random chemical to radiation to exposure to a foreign object."

"So something is making me go through this?" Jennifer asked. Charles put the papers down.

"It would seem so" Charles replied. "I'd like you to work with Logan and Ororo for mediation and for purposes of focusing your mind. I think it'll also help us understand what is going on if you visit Henry here at least twice a day for monitoring."

"I would also suggest coming in if you are feeling overly stressed about anything" Hank said. "If you notice on the charts, Charles, her levels spiked a few times when she became agitated."

"Agitated?" Charles asked looking at the two.

"I'm still starting my classes today, right?" Jennifer asked. Charles steepled his fingers and looked as if he would say 'no'.

"What do you think, Henry?" Charles asked.

"I think it should be fine, as long as the kids don't overburden you" Hank said with a small smile.

"If there are any problems, I want you to immediately stop what you are doing" Charles instructed. "I didn't ask before, but is there anything that your powers won't destroy?"

Jennifer thought about it and her mind flashed to a moment when she had tried to slice through Sabretooth's arm. His skeleton had saved him. She blinked and focused on the professor. "Adamantium. If there's anything else, then I don't know about it."

"We have a few vibranium plates that we use for danger room scenarios" Charles said. "If you have any problems you should go there immediately."

"Vibranium? What's vibranium?" Jennifer asked.

"Let's just say that there have been records of the metal being able to liquefy adamantium, if used properly, at close range" Charles said. Jennifer nodded. "I talked to Jean and Ororo, they have agreed to take the younger students out on an outing of sorts tomorrow. I believe they're still trying to figure out where they will be going."

"Anything else?" Jennifer asked.

"I'm finished for now" Hank said. Charles nodded and went back to looking at the paperwork. Jennifer took a deep breath and turned to leave. "Don't forget about lunch."

"Just find me when you're ready" Jennifer said with a glance over her shoulder. She left the medical lab and went to the second sub-basement, where the danger room was located. The halls were surprisingly quiet and cool. She headed for the main control room and nearly ran into Logan, who was coming out of the men's locker room. "Sorry."

"Not a problem" Logan said. It looked as if he had just changed into his suit since he was adjusting his belt and shoulders. "Where are you off to?"

"Just the control room" Jennifer said. "Charles and Hank want me to be confined to a vibranium plate if my powers get all out of whack again."

"Why the vibranium?" Logan asked. They started walking towards the control room as they talked.

"Charles said that it's stronger then adamantium" Jennifer said. "And, I know I can't go through adamantium."

"You know?" Logan asked.

"Victor's adamantium laced skeleton didn't break when I tried to slice his arm off" Jennifer said through clenched teeth. She hated to talk about her family. The memories were never good and the truth was scary. The anger reached her face and Logan's nostrils flared.

"You teachin' today?" Logan asked. They entered the control room and watched as Ororo was leading them in a training session.

"Yeah, applied team ethics and an intro to justice class" Jennifer said. She watched as Storm used her powers with precision and accuracy. Her gracefulness made her look like the goddess that her people claimed that she was. "Doesn't she look wonderful?"

Logan glanced over at Storm and then sat down in a chair. "Jen, you want me to sit in yer classes, just to make sure nothin' happens?"

"I'll be fine" Jennifer said. "But, if you want to sit in on my classes out of curiosity, I wouldn't be offended."

"I don't need anymore schoolin', darlin'" Logan said. He looked at a computer screen and was scrolling through a list. Jennifer leaned across the control console to see further below. Peter, as Colossus, crouched over Kitty as a swinging ball smashed into him. It shattered with a loud, rocky sound and drew a little attention from the others. Kitty smiled up at him and they both got up. Kurt and Rogue were attempting to take out a handful of metal arms. The others were working more as a team, focusing on the various devices that emanated from the walls and floor. Logan let out a small growl when he looked up from the computer to find Jennifer's butt within arms length from him. "What're you doin'?"

"Just watching them" Jennifer said standing up straight. "Are you training next?"

"Yep" Logan said. Logan smelled the sweat before he saw it grace Jennifer's brow. He watched as she swiped at her head with her hand. Her face began to flush. "You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just really hot in here" Jennifer said. She looked at the computer. "Did you turn up the heat?"

"No" Logan said. He stood up and watched as Jennifer leaned forward, looking as if she had just worked ten hours in under a blazing sun in a field. "Kid?" She brushed his hands away from her and stepped back. Logan pressed a button and spoke to it. "Hank, get to the control room!"

"I don't need help, I'll be fine" Jennifer insisted. She staggered to the far wall with Logan keeping close. Her breathing was becoming ragged. Logan tried to think of what to do and remembered what Hank had told him.

"You need to calm your self" Logan said. "Isn't that what Hank said?" Jennifer looked up at him as if he was crazy. "Control your breathing." It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order. Logan put a hand on her shoulder. "In." He breathed in with her. "Out."

They repeated the exercise a few times and gradually Jennifer's breath became normal. Logan could almost see the color coming back in her face.

"You're looking better" Logan said. Jennifer stood up as straight as she could and saw black spots dance before her eyes. Logan watched her stand awkwardly, failing to gain control of her self.

"Lunch" Jennifer muttered before her eyes rolled up and she slumped forward. Logan easily caught her and shifted her around so she was in his arms.

"Lunch?" Logan repeated. He moved back to the control console and bent down to push the intercom button again. "Hank. Medical assistance required in the control room!"

The door opened a moment later and Hank rushed in.

"What happened?" Hank asked. He pulled out a flashlight and checked Jennifer's eyes.

"Best I can guess she got hot and fainted" Logan said. Hank frowned.

"Its sixty-two degrees in here" Hank said. "It's always sixty-two degrees in here."

"I know that" Logan replied. "Might want to tell Jen though. She looked like it was a hundred and two."

Hank moved past Logan and hit the emergency stop button on the console. The danger room's red emergency lights came on and a buzzer sounded. The equipment quickly found its places in the walls.

"She needs to be on the vibranium" Hank said. "If her powers kick in she could sink through this entire institute…potentially."

"What is wrong?" Ororo asked through the danger room intercom.

"We need to use the danger room for medical purposes immediately" Hank said. The group that was downstairs began their chatter and those who could get up to the control room window to see, did just that. "I need everyone out of the danger room. Kurt, please join us up here."

With a bamf, the fuzzy blue elf was standing before Hank and Logan.

"What is it?" Kurt asked. He looked at Jennifer and stepped close. "Is she okay?"

"She is going through a second mutation" Hank said simply. He was at the computer, creating a custom danger room sequence. When the others below had left the danger room, he executed the program, bringing up four vibranium plates, each one ten feet by ten feet. The pieces formed one giant square. "Kurt, will you teleport these two down there? I'll be down in a minute. I need to retrieve a few things from the medical lab."

"No problem" Kurt said. He reached out, placed a hand on Logan and one on Jennifer, and then teleported to the vibranium. Logan felt a slight stir in his arms and watched as Jennifer moved almost in sleeping-state like convulsions, almost as if she were in the midst of a nightmare. "Second mutations aren't contagious are zey?"

"No" Logan said. He sat down and tried to restrain Jennifer's arms so he wasn't hit in the face. "Go help Hank."

Kurt didn't have to be asked twice. He was gone with a bamf. Logan shifted himself and grumbled. This girl was nothing but a string of problems and her relation to Sabretooth was the biggest of the problems.

"C'mon, Jen" Logan said to Jennifer. He encouraged her to open her eyes and wake up. Despite what everyone thought, he could have a soft side…if he wanted. "Wake up, darlin'." The strange convulsions stopped and her eyes rolled around under his eyelids as if she were in REM sleep. "Jen, wake up, kid."

As if shocked awake, Jennifer was on her feet looking confused. Logan stood up.

"What's going on?" Jennifer asked. "What happened?"

"You fainted or something" Logan replied. He pointed to the vibranium floor panels. They stole any echo away from anyone near them. "Hank wants ya to stay on the vibranium. He went to get some stuff."

"I can't believe this" Jennifer said crossing her arms. The look on her face was recognizable to Logan. It said that she was disappointed in herself.

"Look, I'll see if you can just teach yer classes in here" Logan said. Jennifer didn't even try to smile. "Yer gonna be fine, but it looks like ya have a bumpy road ahead."

"Thanks for the pep talk" Jennifer said. Logan watched as her eyes darkened and she mentally scolded herself. He had seen it all before with a variety of people. He moved over to her and put a thick hand on her shoulder.

"Chuck is here to help mutants, darlin'" Logan said. "We're not gonna turn our back on ya."

"Thanks" Jennifer said hollowly. Her mind raced through the past few weeks. Nothing odd had really happened, other then Sabretooth following her. Her insides told her that he had something to do with this. She looked over at Logan. "I think Victor is involved with this somehow."

"What do ya mean?" Logan asked. "He hasn't been around since you got here."

"There was one night in Canada" Jennifer said. She had almost convinced herself that it had been a dream because she almost didn't believe it. "I was staying in this little shit-hole outside of Edmonton. It must have been two or three in the morning, but I woke up and he was standing at the end of my bed, just watching me. I sat up and he just left."

"That doesn't sound like his style" Logan replied, his brow drawn down in consideration.

"I know" Jennifer said. "I wasn't sure if it was a dream or not. That's the only strange thing that's happened in the last few weeks."

"Yer thinking that he injected you with something?" Logan asked.

"Maybe. Maybe it was a spray or something stashed in my things" Jennifer said. "I don't know what Scott and Jean did with him, but it would help if we could question him."

"I'll see what I can do" Logan said. The danger room doors opened and Hank came in pushing a medical bed into the room that was covered in various lab items. Kurt followed him carrying an armload of things as well.

"You're awake" Hank said leaving the bed at the edge of the vibranium plates. He went over to her and squeezed her hand, resisting a hug.

"I feel fine" Jennifer said returning the squeeze.

"Kurt, why don't you go up to the control room and get us a chair and a desk?" Logan said. Kurt put his armload of various medical lab items on the floor and teleported upstairs.

"Kurt, do this, Kurt do that" Kurt mumbled to himself. He punched in a few buttons and the room below created a temporary holographic chair and desk.

"Don't put more then two hundred fifty pounds on either one of these" Logan said patting the holographic items. "Otherwise it'll fall right through the hologram and cancel the program."

Hank was setting up the equipment that he brought down and locked the bed's wheels into place. He looked over at Jennifer and tried to give her his best smile.

"You're going to have to sleep in here for now" Hank said apologetically. "We'll send some kids down with some things, sheets, books, clothes, whatever you need."

"I guess this means that lunch is out, huh?" Jennifer said looking unhappy. Hank came over to her and gave her a smile.

"Just because you can't go get food does not mean that food can't be brought to you" Hank said. Logan rolled his eyes. There were some things he didn't have time for and Hank's new relationship was one of them.

XXXXXX

Jennifer was stretched out on the medical bed reading a well worn copy of 'Treasure Island'. Her classes had gone over well other then having every student fearful that she would go into some sort of convulsion fit. She marked her spot in her book and looked up at the control booth. No one was up there that she could see, but she still felt as if she was being watched.

She frowned and thought of her uncle standing over her in that Canadian motel room. He had to of done something. If it had been any other time he would have done horrible things that would have ended with him trying to kill her. Raising a hand before her, she let her mutant powers spark up. She wiggled her fingers around. Nothing felt different. Concentrating, she got the energy to move down to her elbow without any pain.

"I have some control" Jennifer said to herself. As the power had started, it stopped. She picked up her book, placing the bookmark next to her head, and smiled.

* * *

NOTE: Sorry this chapter was a little boring, but it'll get better. Any suggestions for a new instructor? I'm aiming for canon characters here. Next chapter will be more exciting. 


	6. Back To The Past

Chapter 6: Back To The Past

The next week was spent in boredom for Jennifer. She spent all of her time in the danger room…teaching, eating with Hank, listening to Remy blabber on about New Orleans, and having the rest of the students pass through. By her seventh day in the danger room, with only one incident occurring, Jennifer was feeling the start of cabin fever crawl into her mind.

Jennifer was in the middle of holding a handstand when Logan came into the danger room. Out of everyone, he had only been in the danger room once since she was ordered to stay in the room.

"Hey kid" Logan said moving to sit in a chair so he was watching her.

"Hey" Jennifer grunted. Logan watched her for a moment, until the silence became strange. "What do you want?"

"Hank and I were doing a little detective work" Logan said. He signaled for her to move right side up. Jennifer rolled onto her back and moved to sit cross legged. "It's about your second mutation."

"You found something?!" Jennifer asked a little loudly.

"Hank and I noticed that you had that little outbreak the other day only after you ate some of Michael's home cookin'. After swiping some food from what you had and comparing it with what the others are eatin', we found something strange in yer food" Logan said.

"I knew that guy was a creep" Jennifer growled. "Is he outta here?"

"We just got the results back about ten minutes ago" Logan said. "Hank wanted me to let you know."

"Does this mean that I can leave this room?" Jennifer asked standing up. Logan stood up and looked around. He knew that he'd be aching to leave the room if he had to stay cooped up in it for a week.

"Better let Xavier give you the 'yes' or 'no' on that, Darlin'" Logan said. Jennifer frowned and crossed her arms.

"What's the cook got against me?" Jennifer asked.

"Don't know" Logan said. "But I'm going to find out."

"Right" Jennifer said. "You think I'm just going to sit here while—"

"You ain't gotta choice, kid!" Logan yelled. "Cripes!"

"He was putting something in my food" Jennifer said moving to poke Logan in the chest. "It's MY problem!"

Logan's eyes bored into Jennifer's. After a minute the two had a non-spoken agreement. Jennifer took off for the door and to locate the cook.

XXXXXXXXXXXXx

The brilliant white portal that Bishop was going through gave way with a burst of blue and he found himself hitting the hard pavement in an alley way. He groaned and stood up. A passing person, in extremely dated clothing, gasped and hurried along. Bishop looked at his large plasma rifle and holstered it, opting for a smaller pistol that was easily concealable.

"Where am I?" Bishop asked himself. He gingerly stepped from the alley and noticed that the streets were clean, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and by the look of the architecture he'd say that he was in the early 2000s. "Great. When am I sounds like a better question."

A man was walking Bishop's way. Bishop stopped the man by blocking his way.

"What city is this, mister?" Bishop asked. The person backed up with a scared look on his face. "C'mon, c'mon, what city is this?"

"Bayville" The man said. The man's eyes fell to Bishop's pistol.

"What's the year?" Bishop asked. The man was trying to back up without getting himself shot at.

"It's…um…it's…it's…two thousand and—and…oh god please don't shoot me" The man said. Bishop turned away from the man in thought. Early 2000s, he had been right.

"One last question" Bishop said. The man nodded, sweat poured down his face. "Ever hear of a man named Charles Xavier?"

"I-I" The man stuttered. Bishop held up his pistol. "YES! Yes. Xavier Institute, off of Graymalkin Lane. That way!"

Bishop nodded and headed the way the man pointed. The people in the past had such simple minds.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ow! Bobby!" Jubilee screamed as Bobby tackled the young girl for the television remote. Bobby sat up with a smile on his face when he got a face full of firecrackers.

"My eyes!" Bobby said falling backwards.

"Will you two knock it off? Ah'm so sick an' tired of listenin' to you two" Rogue said moving to manually change the television station. Bobby hit Jubilee in the stomach with a couch pillow, but the girl wasn't even fazed. The other two turned to look at what she was gaping at. Jennifer stalked by, obviously angry. "Oh man. She ain't supposed ta be outta the danger room."

A second later, Logan stalked by following Jennifer.

"Wolvie?" Jubilee called out. She lost all interest in the remote and television and hopped over the couch.

Jennifer made her way through the mansion to the kitchen. She ignored Kitty and Kurt, who sat at the kitchen counter looking through a few recipe books. She ignored the fact that outside a construction crew was building a foundation for the new branch of the mansion. She only focused on the cook.

Before the others could say 'hi', Jennifer blasted Michael into the kitchen sink. He groaned and slid to the floor. Before he could stand up, Jennifer had him by his collar.

"Is something wrong?" Michael asked. His response was to be thrown into the steel refrigerator. Kitty and Kurt were instantly trying to hold Jennifer back.

"What's wrong with you?" Kurt asked holding her shoulders. Kitty had her left arm.

"Let her go" Logan barked from the kitchen door. The two kids looked over at Logan and finally let her go. Jennifer flung herself forward and stopped inches from Michael.

"Who are you and why were you drugging my food?" Jennifer growled. Michael tried to move left, but Jennifer's hand slammed against the steel fridge, radiating red energy. He tried to go right, but the same thing happened. Finally, Jennifer's entire upper torso was glowing red.

"Perfect" Michael whispered. Logan knelt beside the two.

"Jen, why don't we take him to a secure room and talk to him there?" Logan asked. Michael gave Logan a once-over, as if he could take him on. That look, his grimace…

"Why are you so familiar?!" Jennifer asked in a growl. Before Jennifer could stop him, Logan had Michael in his grip.

"What'd he do, Wolvie?" Jubilee asked from the doorway. "Need me to beat him up for ya?"

"Jubes, keep an eye up here for me" Logan grumbled. "Jen and I gotta take out the trash."

Jubilee pouted as she watched Jennifer and Logan take the struggling chef to the depths of the mansion.

"What the hell is going on?!" Kitty asked.

"She said some-zing about drugged food" Kurt said. He looked a little green. The three, who were silently joined by Rogue, whipped around when they heard the patio door slide open.

"Remy don' need no welcoming committee" Remy said with a smile. He was wearing sweatpants and a tank top and he looked as if he just ran five miles. "What?"

"Logan and Jennifer just took Michael downstairs" Kitty said in one breath. Remy's eyebrow shot up and he quickly left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Logan?" Hank called after watching him pass by the medical lab with Michael in tow. His eyes grew wide when he saw Jennifer, who was entirely engulfed in red energy, pass by as well. He moved to the hallway and followed them, keeping in step with Remy. "What on Earth?"

"Don' know, mon ami, but dis should be interestin', no?" Remy said. Logan opened the door to the danger room and flung Michael to the floor. Behind them, Hank locked the doors. Michael's terrified look changed to an evil grin.

"Logan, I thought we had agreed to deal with this properly" Hank said standing next to Logan with his arms crossed. Remy moved to stand next to Jennifer.

"We're doing this" Logan growled. "My way."

Jennifer stepped forward and knelt a few feet in front of Michael. He looked at her as if she were nothing but a little girl.

"Do you know Victor Creed?" Jennifer asked. Michael moved to sit cross legged.

"I might know him" Michael said. Hank's jaw fell open. Jennifer reached out, her energy causing Michael's cheek to blister almost instantly. He let out a shriek and she drew her arm back.

"Do you know Victor Creed?" Jennifer asked. Her eyes, which were now nothing but red orbs against her now black body, bore into Michael's.

"Creed is merely a pawn in the big scheme of things, just as you all are" Michael sneered. Michael said a string of words so quickly that no one had really caught what he had said. There was a strong push that emanated from his body that sent the others falling backwards. When they looked up a man in a volley of black and purple robes was hovering in the air. "He who is responsible has every move planned out."

"Magician!" Jennifer shrieked. Hank looked over at Jennifer, while the others were on their feet.

"Looks like I chose da right place t'be for da party" Remy said. Logan's claws sprang forth.

"You know this quack?" Logan asked. Jennifer stood up and looked pissed.

"He helped Victor kill my family" Jennifer growled. The Magician raised a hand. Jennifer put forth as much energy as she could, trying to blast him out of Earth's orbit, but her efforts were simply blocked by a force field.

"I see you have not learned since we last met" The Magician said staring at Jennifer. Jennifer kept firing away at the Magician, lost in a losing battle of the past. The blasts did nothing but cause sprays of light as they hit the force field. The Magician reached into his robes and produced a wand that had a red crystal on the end.

"No!" Jennifer screamed. She looked around frantically. "Everyone attack!" Logan opened his mouth, but Jennifer cut him off. "We have to!"

Remy slinked over to Jennifer's things and started charging up the items that looked fairly non-valuable. Hank started climbing the walls. Logan retreated. Jennifer ignored him and started to fire on the Magician as strongly as she could. Hank leapt from the wall and tried to claw at the force field, but slid off to the floor.

It didn't take long for the Danger Room to start moving itself around. Logan programmed a simple program that would attack the Magician from all sides. The hydraulic door to the control room slid open. Jean and Scott ran in with Kitty, Kurt, and Rogue behind them.

"What's going on?" Scott asked.

"Who's that?" Kitty asked. Logan hit the final buttons and snarled at the man in the danger room.

"That's the Magician" Logan said. "Red, take him out mentally if you can."

Jean immediately concentrated and grunted. Logan grabbed Scott and headed down to the danger room. The Magician screamed and his defenses dropped. Remy threw a box of chalk at the Magician, hitting him square in the back. The Magician dropped to the floor with a thud. He ground his teeth and pointed his wand towards Jennifer. A bolt of red power hit her with enough force to slam her into the far wall and held her there.

"Jennifer!" Hank called. In an instant he was on the Magician's back, slashing and clawing at him until the man went limp. As soon as the Magician slumped, Jennifer fell to the floor in a naked heap.

"Get him restrained" Logan ordered. He looked over at Jennifer and noticed her nude form. "Hank, take care of Jennifer."

Hank stood up from the Magician, letting Scott and Remy take care of the Magician, and walked over to Jennifer. He swiped a sheet from her makeshift bed and covered her before picking her up.

"Oh my" Kurt said in a hushed tone.

"Yeah" Kitty said. "This is like totally bizarre."

"Kurt" Logan bellowed. "Go get a holding cell ready. Make sure there's a power dampener in there too."

"No problem, Logan" Kurt said before bamfing from the room.

"Kitty, go get the professor" Logan said. Jean came down from the control room and, using her telekinetic powers, lifted the Magician from the floor as soon as his wand had been taken from him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hank had Jennifer on a medical table in his lab. After a brief check, Hank noted that her vitals all checked out, though her new powers destroyed the clothing that she had been wearing.

"Jennifer?" Hank asked stroking a finger across her cheek. She moaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Hank?" Jennifer asked. "Where…What am I doing here?"

"Shhh. We took care of the Magician for right now" Hank said. Jennifer sat up.

"I'll kill him" Jennifer said. Hank blocked her from moving from the table. "Hank."

"I can't let you do that" Hank said standing his ground. He blushed when he noticed her sheet falling from her breasts. "You're very naked under that sheet."

"I…what?" Jennifer looked down at herself and quickly tried to place the sheet where it had been. "Sorry."

"Looks like a new feature of your new powers is the destruction of whatever you are wearing" Hank replied. Jennifer opened her mouth and raised a hand to the door, but Hank simply waved a hand to dismiss her actions. "The others are taking care of it. I'm here to make sure that you are alright."

"I'm fine" Jennifer said in a small voice. Hank leaned in towards her and lifted her chin, so she was looking at him.

"I don't know what that wand could have done to you, but I was very worried about you" Hank grumbled in a low tone. The medical bed's edge that he gripped protested to his strength and wound up bending to accommodate his grip. Jennifer let out a soft gasp. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

In a swift movement of his head, Hank was kissing Jennifer. It wasn't soft, but it was passionate. Jennifer slid her arms over his chest and around his shoulders. They didn't even hear the lab door slide open, allowing Peter to witness their make-out session.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The small car, which Bishop had hijacked, sped towards Greymalkin Lane. He had used the primitive pay phone booth, had found a map of the area in the phone book, and was on his way to the Xavier Institute. He stopped at a stop sign and took the time to pull out a tracking device from his belt. At one point, the Witness had Forge build in a receiver that would locate any signal from any X-Men communicator.

Bishop took a right, going down Greymalkin Lane, and finally came upon the entrance to Xavier's. His communicator beeped loudly and listed names that it recognized from the communicators that it picked up.

"Witness is here?!" Bishop said aloud. He picked up speed and headed right for the mansion.


	7. Future Matters

Chapter 7: Future Matters

"What the hell is going on?!" Charles yelled as he entered the holding cell. Logan and Kurt were double checking the restraints and power dampener. Kitty and Jean stepped into room behind the professor. "Logan!"

"Chuck, this guy ain't a good guy" Logan grumbled. Charles moved closer to the Magician. "He was dupin' us all."

"You'd t'ink dat wit your powers, you'd have found him out" Remy said coming in to lean against the door frame. Charles frowned at the young man.

"Why are you really here?" Charles asked the Magician. "What is it that you want?"

"You fools" The Magician said. "My master will destroy you all."

"Ugh. How cliché" Kurt groaned.

"Who's your 'master'?" Jean asked with her hands on her hips.

"You'll soon find out" The Magician replied. Charles smacked his hand against his arm rest.

"How is it that we did not detect your mutant powers, Michael?" Charles asked.

"I'm no mutant" The Magician scoffed. "I have been alive longer then any of you could imagine. I am the Magician. I am the master of magic and illusion. I am—"

"You're gonna be sportin' some new holes if ya don't shut up" Logan said popping his claws out.

"Jean, get everyone out of here" Charles ordered. "I need a word with the Magician…alone."

"Everyone…out" Jean said swooping her arm towards the door. Kurt and Kitty didn't waste any time leaving. Logan stubbornly growled that he'd be right outside. Jean stopped in front of Remy. "Remy."

"You gonna make me leave Jean?" Remy asked with a small smile. Jean grabbed his shirt and dragged him to the hallway. "Oh, dis Cajun like it rough, chere."

"Shut up you jerk" Jean said. Scott and Rogue, who had shut down the danger room and had retrieved the Magician's wand, stood in the hallway. Scott moved between Jean and Remy.

"Keep your hands and your lame moves off my girl" Scott said with a slight shove to Remy's shoulder. Remy just smiled.

"Don't worry none, Scott" Remy said. "I was just havin' some fun."

"C'mon Scott" Jean said grabbing his hand. "Ororo wanted to know what was going on."

"God, you can really be an ass sometimes" Rogue said once the couple had disappeared up the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Witness started this whole goddamn mess" Bishop snarled to himself. He sped towards the mansion, which looked to have a group of construction workers working in the back. Bishop screeched his stolen car to a halt in front of the main door.

The Xavier Institute. Bishop wasn't sure if he wanted to burn the place or jump for joy. The large 'X' that decorated his enforcement suit directly stood for Xavier. It also stood for the beliefs that Xavier had instilled in mutants world wide. Xavier, the man who had allowed Witness to grow and develop.

"First Fitzroy and now Witness" Bishop said. He pulled out his plasma rifle and quickly moved into the mansion.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Hank gathered Jennifer to himself and somehow managed to move to his desk chair with Jennifer straddling his lap. Jennifer moaned as Hank gripped her ass tightly. She fumbled with the Hawaiian shirt Hank was wearing, but eventually managed to get it unbuttoned.

"Hank" Jennifer whispered against his lips.

From the doorway, Peter turned a deep shade of red. He quickly backed out of the lab, shutting the door behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Logan?" Rogue asked. Logan's brow was in a scowl. She held up the wand. "What should I do with this?"

"Don't know, don't care" Logan replied with a grunt. Remy leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Rogue looked at the wand as if it were completely alien.

"Great" Rogue said.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Bishop let his gaze move about the main foyer slowly. The Xavier Institute had been destroyed long before he had joined the XSE force. He had only heard stories about…

"Hey, Mister!" Jubilee said with an angry look on her face. Bishop standing his six and a half feet stared down at Jubilee who barely stood five feet. "You can't just go toting a gun around here. This is a school!"

"I'm looking for someone" Bishop said. The 'M' that was tattooed over the right side of his face, seemed more menacing. It didn't stop Jubilee though. Bishop took a step towards the stairs and Jubilee moved to block his way.

"Who're you lookin' for?" Jubilee asked. Bishop narrowed his eyes at the young girl.

"Get out of my way, child" Bishop growled. Jubilee opened her mouth to say something when Jean and Scott came into the foyer. "Great."

"Jubilee?" Jean called out. Scott had his glasses in hand.

"Who the hell are you?" Scott asked. Bishop aimed his gun at the three of them.

"I'm looking for Witness" Bishop said.

"We don't know anyone named Witness" Jubilee said

"You have ten seconds to clear out of here, pal" Scott said. "We don't use guns around here and we don't like them to be on the premise."

"You kids have no idea of the future" Bishop said. Surprising everyone, Jubilee destroyed the business end of Bishop's gun. Her pafs gave way and the young girl had a look that she could have only picked up from one man.

"We won't have a future if you shoot us" Jubilee said. She started to move forward, but the air around everyone became strong and forceful. "Hey."

"Who are you and what do you want with the students?" Ororo asked standing a few feet from Bishop. Bishop took a step backwards.

"You're…Storm" Bishop said disbelieving his eyes. "You're legendary."

"Legendary?" Ororo said. "Answer my questions."

"The name's Bishop and I'm here for Witness" Bishop said.

"There's no one by the name of Witness here" Ororo said. "How do you know of me?"

"The events haven't happened yet" Bishop said simply. Jean looked at Ororo and shrugged.

"He's telling the truth, as far as he's concerned" Jean said. "I took the liberty of letting the Professor know that we have a visitor."

"Hey, look at that" Jubilee said pointing to a communicator on Bishop. "That looks like the one that Jen brought in."

"What?" Bishop said. In his disbelief, he grabbed Jubilee's wrist. Jubilee fired her fireworks at the tall man, but he seemed to absorb her powers.

"Don't mess with me" Jubilee said wrenching herself away from the tall man. "You'll get it now. Wolvie's gonna kick your ass."

"Jubilee. Language" Ororo hushed.

"Jubilee?" Bishop said wide eyed. He looked over at Scott Summers and Jean Grey with realization. "No. You guys can't be…"

"Can't be what bub?" Logan said from behind Scott and Jean. His claws extended out and Bishop shook his head.

"I've seen all of your graves, except for yours Logan" Bishop said. "Your help with the resistance in the future….it…"

"The future? You have much explaining to do" Ororo ordered. "You say that you know who we are?"

"Yes" Bishop grunted.

"Then please, allow the two of us to talk privately. If you know anything about me, then you'd know that I prefer diplomacy to actual fighting" Ororo said. With a nod, Bishop followed Ororo into the den.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Don' you guys run background checks on everyone here?" Remy asked. Rogue crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. Logan had told her to stay put, Remy just stuck around.

"We're not the NSA" Rogue said. "Sometimes stuff slips through our fingers."

"Oui" Remy said simply. He grinned and allowed himself to let his eyes fully check Rogue out.

"Pig" Rogue grunted. The silence in the hallway became heavy just long enough that Rogue was relieved when Peter came out from the danger room.

"I checked the danger room" Peter said. "I make sure no one left anything."

"We already checked it" Rogue said. Peter's cheeks were still red, but had forgotten about his blush.

"What's up wit' you, Pete?" Remy asked. "You look a little…embarrassed, non?"

"It's nothing" Peter said. The room that Charles was in sounded with a thud; the door slid open and Xavier wheeled himself to the hallway.

"This is getting us nowhere" Charles said. "He's not willing to talk and somehow he can block my telepathy."

"Excuse me" The Magician called out. Charles and the others looked over at the Magician. "One of the first things that I learned, very long ago, was a simple trick. I would like to demonstrate."

The wand that Rogue held onto wiggled and broke free of her grasp. It glowed white and the tip red. The tip shot out a beam of red power, the others watched as the Magician simply left his restraints.

"I feel that it is time for me to leave you, X-Men" The Magician said with a smile. "This is yet another trick of mine."

The wand flew into his hand and, as if a bubble had popped, the Magician was no longer in the room.

"Mon dieu!" Remy gasped.

"Professor" Rogue said.

"He's no longer in the vicinity" Charles said. "I don't feel his presence at all."

"Did you find out anything?" Rogue asked.

"Just bits and pieces, but nothing that makes sense" Charles replied. "Something about ice and a jungle…and a single word: 'Sinister'. Nothing more then that." Charles led the others towards the hydro-lift that would take them upstairs. "I fear that there is yet another threat upstairs that we need to deal with. Someone find Hank and have him come upstairs."

"No" Peter said quickly. "No, I think he is very much busy."

"Busy doin' what?" Rogue asked. "We had a bad guy down here and there might be some douche bag upstairs."

"Chere, I t'ink dat he busy…bein' taught a lesson" Remy said picking up on Peter's renewed blush.

"Perfect" Charles grumbled as the lift doors shut.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You do not understand" Bishop grunted. He stood up from the couch that Ororo had insisted he sit upon and paced the room. He glared at his weapons that were now laid out on the table between the couches. "I am from the future."

The knock at the door gave Ororo a reason to take a deep breath. She opened the door, allowing Charles inside.

"I'm sorry for not meeting you right away" Charles said. The door was closed behind him. "I am Charles Xavier."

"I'm called Bishop" Bishop said. His manners were cold, a non-psychic could tell you that. "I need to talk to you about finding a man called Witness."

"Witness?" Charles asked. "I don't believe I know of anyone named Witness."

"That's what Storm has just been telling me" Bishop said mildly disappointed. "I originally came back to the past, your present time, in search of another man." He looked between Ororo and Charles. "A man named Trevor Fitzroy. He's a mutant who can create time portals, but only after draining the life force from other people."

"And you believe that this man has traveled here?" Charles asked.

"I jumped in after him and arrived here" Bishop said matter-of-factly. "He is a murderer and a thief."

"Ororo, would you please leave me alone with Bishop?" Charles said. "I would like to talk to him privately…about the future."

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R&R!!!! I will write more faster if you give me a comment or two! I'm always open to suggestions too!


	8. Witness

Chapter 8: Witness

Hank and Jennifer found themselves on the floor of the medical lab in a sweaty, tired heap. Jennifer rolled off of Hank, onto her back, and took a deep breath.

"I think I needed that" Jennifer whispered with a smile. Hank gave her a large smile and moved onto his side.

"I think we both did" Hank said. He slid a hand around her waist and kissed her neck. "In fact, I might require you to take this exam again later tonight."

"Hank" Jennifer said with a giggle. He brought his head up from her shoulder and kissed her. His fur tickled Jennifer's stomach, but she didn't mind. It was soft like rabbit fur. Jennifer ran her hand up his chest and pushed him back. "Hank, don't you think we should go check on things?"

"That would be most adult of us" Hank said. His face went from a considerate look to a smirk. "But, must we be adults all the time?"

Jennifer laughed and moved to stand up. "C'mon." She held out her hand and pulled Hank to his feet. "Let's go check in with the others. Once they see our faces, we can disappear for a few more hours."

"Oh, is that how it works?" Hank asked moving in to kiss Jennifer. He reached for the exam bed and retrieved the sheet that he had earlier discarded from Jennifer when it had become burdensome. He stood up straight and wrapped the sheet around Jennifer in a strange toga style. "Perfect."

"I think you might need some kind of coverage too" Jennifer said letting her hand run down his abs to his groin. He let out a groan and moved her hands away from him.

"Do that again and I refuse to hold myself responsible" Hank said. He kissed her on her forehead and moved to his desk, where his clothes had been shed. He pulled on his boxers and shorts. "There are some scrubs in the third top cabinet in the same room with Doctor Caius."

Jennifer went into the room with the strange machine that Hank prided himself over and found the scrubs. They were doctor green, or at least that's the color that Jennifer called them. In every movie, in every real hospital, the doctors seemed to have a select choice of colors, and this was doctor green. She pulled on a shirt and pants before heading over to Hank.

"You look ravishing" Hank said while buttoning up his Hawaiian shirt.

"Yeah?" Jennifer said brushing the wrinkles from the scrubs. She smiled and watched him button his shirt. "You look comfortable. I think I'd rather be in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt."

"Want to swap?" Hank asked. Jennifer laughed at the thought and gave her blue beau a kiss before pulling him to the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked Scott. The patio was sparse of people since Ororo had made everyone go outside and they were now playing a game of baseball. Scott shrugged and watched the construction workers. In a strange way, Scott imagined them all as mutants. A few days before there had been nothing, but the men in orange safety vests and steel-toed boots had constructed a foundation and were working on the basic framework for the new housing.

"Just thinking" Scott said. He gave Kurt a reassuring smile. Kurt sat on one of the patio chairs and watched as Peter surprised himself by catching a fly ball in center field.

"Well, vat do you think of ze new guy?" Kurt asked.

"I didn't really get a good look" Scott said. He was quiet for a minute, thinking. "I suppose that if he really is from the future, then something must have gone wrong."

"Jubilee said zat he was going off about someone named Witness" Kurt said.

"I don't know anyone named witness" Scott replied. Kurt nodded in agreement.

"Are you okay, Scott? I mean, you seem a little down" Kurt said as he watch Scott zone out.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Scott replied.

"Well, if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm always here" Kurt replied. "I'm going to go look for Kitty. Bye."

Leaving a trace of smoke, Kurt was gone and Scott was left by himself once again.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Amidst the late afternoon activities, Rogue found herself wandering away from the baseball game. She wandered through the trees, along a well trodden path, that led down to the lake. A breeze had picked up, cooling the summer air.

Five minutes on the path and the trees gave way to a small beach and a strip of grass. There was a small barbecue pit nestled on the far side of the strip of lawn and Rogue found herself staring at Remy.

"Oh god" Rogue said to herself. Remy was sitting on a large log smoking a cigarette. Remy noticed her, smiled, and gave her a small wave. He had changed into jeans and a black t-shirt, which seemed to be his usual day clothing. Despite herself, Rogue walked over to the barbecue pit and sat down on the opposite side of Remy. "Hey."

"An' what do I owe dis honor?" Remy asked watching her.

"Nothin'" Rogue said. "Ah come out here all the time."

"Perhaps dis time you come out here t'see dis Cajun" Remy said in his usual suave tone. Rogue pursed her lips.

"Perhaps I just came down here t'get away from the others" Rogue replied. Remy discreetly moved around the pit so he was sitting on the same log as Rogue. "What d'ya think your doin'?"

"Let's say dat if t'ings go right, I show you how t'charge t'ings" Remy said leaning towards Rogue. Her eyes were wide at how close he was to her. She could almost feel his breath on neck.

"Ah can't touch you" Rogue finally said. She pushed herself down the log and finally turned her back to Remy. She gasped when she felt Remy move to sit directly behind her, straddling the log just as she was now doing. She tried to push his arm away as it snaked around her waist. "Gambit."

"Hmm?" Remy asked. He let his chin touch her shoulder. As his chest pushed up along Rogue's back, he could feel her heart beat wildly. "You gonna have a heart attack, Rogue."

"Then get off a me" Rogue replied. Remy let his hands move so he was holding her hips.

"Gambit always wants what he can't have" Remy said moving his lips so they almost touched Rogue's skin. Rogue shivered and Remy smiled. "Gambit get you one of dese days, chere. I guarantee it."

Gently, Remy stood up and headed for the path that would led back to the mansion. Rogue just sat on the log, flabbergasted at the feelings that flooded through her over the suave Cajun.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The construction crew had left around five o'clock which is about the time Jean, Kurt, and Kitty started to make dinner for the others. Kitty hit the mansion's intercom, letting everyone know that dinner would be ready in five minutes.

By the time everyone piled into the dining room, with the exception of the professor and Bishop, they were all surprised to find trays with steaming chicken breasts, bowls of rice pilaf, a large basket of dinner rolls, steamed vegetables, and three pies. Kitty smiled and immediately reached for a roll, which is what she had made.

The dining room doors opened and the professor led Bishop in. Bishop stood behind his chair and stared at the kids. He knew of them.

"You're Dr. Henry McCoy" Bishop said looking Hank up and down. "I read about you in Randall's!"

"I am indeed Dr. McCoy" Hank said with a grin. "But, who is Randall?"

Bishop ignored the question and looked at the young kids. "And, your glasses, you must be Scott Summers!" Scott went to hold out his hand for an introductory shake, but Bishop seemed to be caught up with his excitement. "You must be Jean Grey and you, the hair, you have got to be Rogue."

"Sure thing" Rogue said scooping some rice onto her plate. Bishop looked around. The table had grown quiet though they were all dishing up food. Bishop's excitement fell from his face as he noticed Remy.

"Gambit" Bishop said coldly. "There was never much written about you."

"Dat's da way I like it" Remy said. He was pouring himself a tall glass of iced tea. Bishop glared at the man before sitting down.

"Everyone, this is Bishop" Charles said. "I have reason to believe that he is indeed from the future."

"So there are X-Men in the future? Cool" Bobby said from the far end of the table.

"I'm not an X-Man" Bishop replied. "I'm an X.S.E officer."

"A what?" Jean asked. She had her fork resting in her hand and was waiting for Bishop to answer her before she ate.

"Xavier Student Enforcement officer" Bishop replied. "Something like a…"

"Cop" Charles said. Bishop nodded.

"Perfect" Logan said. The chatter in the room picked up gradually. Bishop kept his eye on Remy and praised the food. By the time everyone had obtained their slice of pie, Bishop heard what he needed to.

"Shut up, Remy" Rogue said with a smirk. She elbowed him in the ribs and started in on her pie.

"Remy?" Bishop said. "LeBeau?!" Remy looked shocked that someone, especially someone from the future, would know his full name. "You're Witness!"

"Bishop, please" Charles said as a command. "Calm down."

"I ain't called Witness" Remy said standing and leaning on the table. Bishop mimicked him.

"You are in my time" Bishop growled.

"Oh yeah?" Remy said. "What did I do in your time? Double park?"

There were a few snickers from around the table. Bishop looked as if the vein on his forehead would burst. "You were the last one to see the X-Men alive before they were betrayed by one of their own."

"Dis is foolish" Remy said heading for the dining room door. Logan stood up as did Rogue.

"That was rude!" Rogue hissed before going after Remy. Logan turned and shoved a finger in Bishop's chest. The tall black man was nearly a foot taller then him, but it didn't matter to him.

"Look, bub" Logan said. "It took me a while to get use ta that kid bein' here. You wanna start something, you get to start it with me." He popped his claws out, nearly hitting Bishop in the face. "You understand?"

"Both of you calm down" Charles demanded.

"Violence won't solve anything" Scott said. He looked about ready to stand up in order to take action. Logan let out a loud sniff and left the room. Bishop sat down and put his head in his hand.

"You must work on your patience, Bishop" Ororo said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Rogue found Remy out by the lake, where she had run into him before. He was throwing charged up rocks into the lake, causing tiny explosions. She silently stood there watching him with her arms crossed. The night had brought in a cool breeze that was enough to make her wish she had brought a sweater.

"Go away" Remy said before throwing another rock into the water.

"No" Rogue said. She took a few steps closer to him. "Look, you can't let that guy get to you. He could be lyin'."

"I thought you didn't care 'bout me, chere" Remy said finally looking at her.

"Ah don't" Rogue said putting her hands on her hips. "Ah just think that ya didn't handle the situation very well. That's all."

"Is it now?" Remy asked moving close to her, enough to make her step back.

"That's what ah said" Rogue said meekly. Remy circled around her, letting his hands touch her hips and waist, where she was covered. He could feel Rogue going soft.

"A kiss would make it all better" Remy whispered in Rogue's ear. Rogue shoved at him.

"You know ah can't do that" Rogue grumbled. She stepped away from him. "I was just seein' if you were okay." She headed back to the path. "Ah'll see ya later."

"Yes you will" Remy said. He moved to one of the logs that faced the barbecue pit and lit up a cigarette.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hank and Jenny were in the den watching an old horror movie. Kitty had started watching the movie with them, but had decided to see what Peter was up to. Scott took Jean to a movie. Kurt, Jaime, and Rahne were cleaning up after dinner. The others were all around, but not in the den.

"This is nice" Hank said. Jenny snuggled up to Hank and smiled. The den doors opened with a loudness that only one specific girl could manage. The sound of her rollerblades in the house gave her away.

"Anyone seen Wolveroonie around?" Jubilee asked. She was chewing her gum. She leaned over the back of the couch. "Whatcha watching?"

"Logan is out with his bike, I think" Hank said. Honestly, he didn't know where Logan was, but he had made a good guess. Jubilee stood up with a smile.

"Thanks, Big Blue" Jubilee said with a smile. Jen chuckled and continued to watch the movie. Hank looked at the girl, moving so he could waggle a finger at her.

"Jubilee, we went over this. No rollerblades in the house" Hank said. "Get outside with them before you ruin the floors."

"Sure thing, yo" Jubilee said moving backwards. She made some unnecessary 'Tap That Shit' gestures while indicating that she was making fun of him and Jen.

"Jubes, get out of here" Hank said. Jubilee shut the doors, leaving with a giggle. It wasn't long before the doors opened again. Hank sighed. Jenny rubbed his chest, which calmed him. "Jube—Logan?"

"Oh man. Is the kid lookin' fer me again?" Logan asked. He moved to sit on the couch.

"Looks like someone has their own fan club" Jenny said. Logan shook his head and looked at the couple.

"What do you two think of that Bishop guy?" Logan asked.

"I think he needs a few sessions with the professor and Ororo before going out in public" Hank replied.

"He seems lost" Jenny said. "Why?"

"I'm gonna keep an eye on him" Logan growled. The front door opened and Jubilee skated in.

"Hank, I didn't see LOGAN!" Jubilee said with a large smile. She skated around and sat next to him on the couch. "I've been looking for ya, Wolvie!" Jubilee pulled a note from her pocket and gave it to Logan. "You had a call after dinner. I can't believe you just got up and left like that. You gonna duke it out with this Bishop guy? Bobby and Amara were askin' earlier and I told them that you'd kick that dude's butt."

"Jubes" Logan said. The call had been from Japan. "Can't you keep yer trap shut fer a few minutes?" Jubilee jutted her lip out in a pout. "When did this person call?"

"Like fifteen minutes ago or something" Jubilee said. "I told them you were on the can since I couldn't find ya."

"Something wrong, Logan?" Hank asked.

"Probably" Logan said. His lip twitched and he crumpled the note. "I gotta go work out."

"I'll work out with ya!" Jubilee said following him off the couch. Her talking didn't stop until Logan shut the doors to the den.

"Someone has a big time crush…dude" Jenny said. Hank chuckled and squeezed his girl. Jenny moved so she was kneeling beside Hank. "Could I interest you in going upstairs?"

"Mmm" Hank growled. "I think that could be arranged, though I don't know if we should flaunt our relationship in front of the others. It could make for a poor example to the students."

"Well, then" Jenny said moving onto Hank's lap. "There's a monster under my bed and I need a big strong man to hit it for me."

"Now that, I can do" Hank said. He stood up with her in his arms, forgetting about the movie. He spun around to face the door, eliciting a shriek from Jenny. "Dr. Hank 'Monster Killer' McCoy, at your service."

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NOTE: I love reviews! R&R!!!! I did take some stuff, almost directly, from X-Men #8. I think it's one of my favorite issues of X-Men.


	9. How Sinister

NOTE: Hey there my readers! Here's a new chapter for you all. If you read and review, I'll get the next chapter written and posted soon. I am always open to suggestions. This isn't exactly how things go in the comics, but I'm trying to make do. I'll end this soon. Is anyone interested in writing a sequel? If so, go for it.

XXXXX

Chapter 9: How Sinister

Dark dreams of emplates and the death of Shard filled Bishop's dreams. He had allowed his training to consume him as he had passed by her body, but now, in the past, his mind reeled of emotion. A vision of Shard in some sort of dress standing before him popped into his dreams.

"Shard?" Bishop called. Her lips were moving, but Bishop couldn't hear what she was saying. "SHARD!"

She started to fade away. Bishop reached out for her, but she was already gone. There was a sound and the void Bishop was in, was suddenly a dark tunnel. Creeping closer and closer were hundreds of emplates; their red eyes glowed in the dark.

A sharp pain ran through Bishop's hand as he gasped and sat up in his bed. He was breathing heavily and he could feel sweat trickle down his back. He looked at his hand and then at the wall the bed was next to. There was a dent in the wall.

"Great" Bishop said. He swung his legs out from his bed. He was wearing a pair of Peter's sweatpants since he was the only one close in size. Bishop looked at himself in the mirror. He looked tired. He sighed and headed for the kitchen.

The kitchen was black and empty when Bishop started to fumble with the light switch. He was reminded of his dreams before firmly flipping the switch up, illuminating the room. It had been two days since Bishop arrived at the Institute.

"Barbaric technology" Bishop grumbled to himself. He opened a few cabinets until he was staring at boxes upon boxes of cereal. He pulled one from the Jenga-like mess and started to read the nutritional value.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Jennifer's voice said from behind Bishop. He turned as if he was in the middle of an attack. Red energy floated from his hands until he realized that he was safe.

"Sorry" Bishop said in his deep, stoic voice.

"No problem" Jennifer said. Bishop went back to reading the box he was holding and Jennifer started moving around. "You like sugar bombs?"

"I'm trying to figure out what they are" Bishop replied. Jennifer smiled and closed the fridge.

"Sugar bombs are pretty much sugar-coated, sugar-infused corn-based cereal" Jennifer said. Bishop made a face that showed his disgust. "What are you looking to eat?"

"Something simple" Bishop said. "and healthy."

Jennifer reached into the cabinet with the cereal and pulled out two boxes. "You might like one of these better. But, fair warning, if Jubilee hears you bad mouth her sugar bombs then you're in for a world of hurt."

"I'll remember that" Bishop said choosing granola over shredded wheat. Jennifer went back to the fridge and passed the milk to Bishop. Jennifer retrieved a slice of Kurt's cake and a made a cup of hot tea. Bishop went through just about every cabinet until he found the bowls and spoons.

"So…you're from the future" Jennifer said when they were finally eating. Bishop nodded. "How'd you get to the past?"

"A mutant named Fitzroy" Bishop grumbled. "He can travel through time after taking the life-force of others."

"Fitzroy" Jennifer said trying to remember her own past. Bishop narrowed his eyes between bites of his cereal. "He…has green hair, doesn't he?"

"Yes" Bishop said watching Jennifer. She sipped her hot tea and her eye flinched. Without warning, Bishop had her off her chair and up against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jennifer shrieked. Bishop leaned in, looking furious.

"What do you know of Fitzroy?" Bishop asked in a growl. His grip on her shifted until he was holding her neck.

"1949" Jennifer choked out. She let her hands glow red, which immediately had Bishop dropping her. "Fitzroy helped kill my parents." Bishop was in a crouch holding his hands against his body. Jennifer bent down so they were face to face. "Grab me like that again and I'll do more then just leave imprints of my hands."

"You're working with him" Bishop accused.

"With Fitzroy?" Jennifer shook her head and stood up. "I don't think so."

XXXXX

Somewhere amidst the brutal ice and chilling winds was a great jungle. It was a place that the Magician called home. He glided into the old stone temple, through a maze of passages, to the newly built addition. He was stopped by a handful of guards, who were natives that served their new ruler.

"Where is he?" The Magician asked. "I must speak to him."

"Bass nie beskikbaar" One of the natives said. The sound of a hydraulic door made the natives and the Magician look towards the throne that faced the main door. "Bass! Bass!"

The natives knelt as the man in a strange black suit and cape moved to sit in his throne. His cape, made up of strips of black and red, billowed around him. He narrowed his red pupil-less eyes at the Magician.

"How did our little experiment go, Magician?" The man said in a strange voice. His voice almost sounded non-human and nearly made the Magician shiver.

"Almost as planned" The Magician replied.

"What do you mean 'almost'?" The man asked again. The red diamond shaped gem that seemed imbedded in his forehead glistened.

"They found out who I am, which is why I am back" The Magician said. The man on the throne slammed his fist on the arm of his chair.

"Did Xavier find out anything?" The man asked in a pissed-off tone. The Magician shook his head.

"No, I do not believe so" The Magician said. The man on the throne stood up and took his time approaching the Magician. Sweat trickled down the Magician's neck and the taller, more menacing man approached him.

"You had better hope not" The black haired man growled. His teeth had been filed into points and his white skin was so unnatural that it was frightening. "I need you to find Fitzroy before that idiot from the future does."

"Yes sir, Sinister" The Magician said. The Magician watched as Sinister went back to his laboratory, only taking a deep breath when the door had shut.

XXXXX

Remy and Ororo sat on recliners that faced the backyard. The early morning air was crisp with dew and it made the steam that rolled off their mugs of coffee more visible. They watched as Jennifer raced through the trees and into the yard. There were objects in the yard that were obviously planted there by her self.

"What do you suppose she is doing?" Ororo asked. They watched as Jennifer flipped over a basketball, grabbing it in the process, and as she ran towards a chair. She dove over the chair and threw the basketball at a tree.

"Looks like she's trainin' fo' somet'ing" Remy said. They watched her display her high levels of agility while she went back and forth in a zig-zag jumping over things, tumbling, throwing, and even crawling under things. "Perhaps a dangerous game o' dodgeball?"

Ororo chuckled and sipped her coffee. Jennifer had already had a generously sweat stained shirt when they had begun their meditations. Now she was still going at the same pace.

"Perhaps she knows something we do not" Ororo suggested. Remy nodded and watched as Jennifer found her way back into the woods.

"I wonder, Stormy, if her trainin' ain't due to our new guest" Remy said.

"Bishop?" Ororo said. "What would she have in common with him?"

The kitchen patio door slid open and Bishop came out with a cup of coffee in his hand. He took a seat on the other side of Ororo.

"Speak o' da devil" Remy chided.

"Good morning, Bishop" Ororo said with a smile. She noticed his hands; each one had a towel and duct tape wrapped around it. "What happened to your hands?"

"Fell down" Bishop said. He sipped at his coffee and watched as Bobby and Ray came running over to them.

"Morning!" Bobby and Ray said.

"Anyone cook breakfast?" Ray asked.

"Not yet, mon ami" Remy said. "You two give it a try, non?"

"No!" Ororo said quickly. "I mean, that will not be necessary. Jean and Rogue said that they'd cook this morning."

"Good" Bobby said. "I would have just pulled out cereal and milk."

"Yeah, sugar bombs for everyone" Ray said. They laughed and went inside.

"Bishop, would you mind if we asked you some questions?" Ororo asked. The large man pursed his lips for a second and then shook his head 'no'. "This Fitzroy man that you are after, he is here in this time?"

"As far as I know" Bishop replied. "Charles said that he would be searching for him with Cerebro."

"Do you know what has gotten into Jennifer?" Ororo asked watching a flash of color between the trees.

"Fitzroy helped kill her parents" Bishop replied.

"You t'ink she's lookin' fo' revenge?" Remy asked, knowing perfectly well the obvious answer. Bishop stood up and looked down at Remy.

"While I can't entirely hate you, LeBeau, I can guarantee you that revenge is what we all want for murderers of our past" Bishop said. He was inside before Ororo or Remy could reply.

"I don' know what he's talkin' 'bout, Stormy" Remy said. Ororo just sipped her coffee. "I jus' don' like bein' blamed fo' somet'ing dat ain't happened yet."

XXXXX

"Braulio, man over board!" A Chilean man yelled to his friend. The cool ocean water slapped against the 36-foot fishing boat. The two men brought the boat around and pulled the strange looking man from the water.

"Is he breathing, Luis?" Braulio asked. Luis removed the red helmet and felt for a pulse.

"I think he's going to be okay" Luis said. They both looked him over. The red suit was more then well known. "He's the man from the news. Magneto."

"Wake him up if you can" Braulio said. "I'll go find something dry for him to put on."

"We could just leave him" Luis said. "The ocean would consume him."

"And lose our luck? No way" Braulio said disappearing inside the boat. Luis leaned over Magneto and slapped his cheek.

"Wake up, mister" Luis said. Magneto's head rolled and he stirred. "You awake?"

"Apocalypse" Magneto whispered in English.

"Do you speak Spanish?" Luis asked. Magneto coughed and rolled to his side. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Where am I?" Magneto asked in English. His mind told him that he was with someone speaking Spanish, so he switched languages. "Where am I?"

"Puerto Aisen" Luis replied. Magneto sat up and looked around. He was on the ocean.

"I must get to America" Magneto said. "I need Xavier."


End file.
